Aaron Huey wins 1st Place in NPPA's Still Photography for The Arts Category.

Young girls prepare to perform traditional Svanish dances in the village of Mestia.

More on the story from "The lost valley of Svanetia in the Georgian Caucasus" which appeared as a cover story in Lenswork magazine in July 2004.

In the mountains of the Georgian Republic, in a valley surrounded by 5,000 meter peaks, between Abkhazia and South Ossetia, is Svanetia, and its people, the Svans. The old men of this valley say that they are the descendents of Sumerian slaves that escaped their bondage and fled north, to the Caucasus where they worshiped the Sun God Lile' and became known as The Children of The Sun. Isolated by the natural barrier of the Caucasus, the Svans have enjoyed a long history of independence and have used that protection to develop their own language, culture, and customs. Song and dance are the last places the Svanish culture survives. Today, however, the economic instability of the region is causing a mass exodus of Svanish youth, drawn away to Tbilisi, Europe, and America where they can get a better education, a job, and a life that does not depend on subsistence farming. The language that the Svans speak, a language which has never been written, is rapidly being replaced by Georgian (Kartuli). There are now fewer than two hundred fluent speakers of the Svanish language left.

Two men play a game of chess in Lengeri.

Candles are lit for a feast marking the anniversary of a death in the village of Ushguli, the highest altitude village in Europe.

A young boy and his horse in the village of Ushguli.

Khako Pilapni, one of the last fluent Svanish speakers, tells stories to children in the village of Lengeri.

Village of Ushguli, the highest village in Europe, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The village is famous for its 14th century towers, with dozens still intact.

Iona Guledani wears the medals he earned in World War I fighting with the allies for Joseph Stalin. He remains a staunch Stalinist to this day. Iona is one of Georgia's most decorated war heroes.

Twins are born to the Ratiani family in the Mestia hospital.

A blood spattered knife used in the bull sacrifice for Day of the Dead feast.

A rider on horseback climbs a hill to his pasture, just below the peak of Mt. Ushba.

Children dance in the Mestia school. The Svans' rich culture of song and dance are kept alive by this small group of children.

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A young boy gets a haircut in his home in the village of Ushguli, the highest altitude village in Europe.