The 2012 Photocrati Fund judging is still underway, and we don’t envy the task at hand. With more than 400 talented applicants, selecting a winner is a tough challenge. Our staff and judges have enjoyed reading about the many meaningful projects, and more than that, we’ve loved checking out the outstanding photography. It is one of our favorite times of the year — a chance to be inspired by all of the great work that so many of you are doing in the field. That said, the pool is presently whittled down to the top 25 finalists for this year’s fund. Here they are:

2012 Photocrati Fund Top 25 Finalists

AMI VITALE
Kashmir: Paths to Peace

ANNA BOYIAZIS
AIDS Orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa

CAROL ALLEN STOREY
The RED Badges of Courage (Tanzania)

DAN GIANNOPOULOS
The Orphaned Elderly of Kathmandu

EDUARDO DIAZ
The Timber Mafia (Pakistan)


EMILIANO J. THIBAUT
The Written-Off  Future (Jalisco, Mexico)


JAMES VYBIRAL
Where Have All the Hunters Gone? (Peruvian Amazon)

KASPER NYBO
Borderline Living. Refugees in Lebanon

KHALED HASAN

Terror Beat of Acid (Bangladesh)

LAURA EL-TANTAWY

In the Shadow of the Pyramids (Egypt)


LIANNE MILTON
Social Impact of Post-Civil War Violence in Guatemala

MALIN FEZEHAI

Invisible Women (Beruit, Lebanon)


NEIL EVER OSBORNE
The Black Turtle Project (Baja California)

PETER DiCAMPO
Life Without Lights (Uganda)

ROBERTO (BEAR) GUERRA
La Carretera: Life Along Peru’s Inter-Oceanic Highway


RYAN ROCO

Attrition of the Mind: They Psychological Effects of Burma’s Kachin Conflict

SANDRA ELENA TEN ZIJTHOFF

Columbian Urban Refugees in Ecuador

SEAN GALLAGHER

A Fragile State: Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau


SITTHIXAY DITTHAVONG
The Silent Siege (Kachin State, Myanmar)

STEPHEN BOYLE
After Conflict: A Hope (Mogadishu)

SVEN ZELLNER
Nomadic Children’s Bitter Fate (Mongolia)

TJ WATT
Northern Vancouver Island’s Endangered Ancient Forests

TUDOR VINTILOIU
Huaorani – Forest People of Ecuador

VIVEK SINGH
The Brus – Displaced and Desolate (India)


WENDY MARIJNISSEN

The Dai’