A selection of top talents from UK visual arts courses have been selected to exhibit their images as winners of the FreshFaced+WildEyed 2013 competition, set up to give extra exposure to recently graduated photography majors.

The Photographers’ Gallery is hosting 22 of the best and brightest BA and MA grads who donned the mortar board in the past year, a lucky few picked from over 300 hopefuls by a panel of experts including TPG director Brett Rogers and The Independent art critic Zoe Pilger. Smiling seems to be out of favour in the comp’s sixth year; apart from the Babestation lass who’s presumably celebrating the end of her shift, it’s a serious and sad collection for the most part, but nevertheless compelling in the extreme. Political unrest, the legacy of war, the fine line between swimming and drowning – the subject matter is ostensibly grim, but the results are full of energy. That’s life, one might say. The internationally diverse students are taking over the London gallery from 9th to 21st July.

Anastasia Shpilko
Arina, tumbler, rests during her training in the
Visaginas Acrobatic Sport School, Lithuania, 2012
C-type print
© Anastasia Shpilko
Courtesy of the artist

Daniel Mayrit
An Encounter, 2012
C-Type print on Lightbox
© Daniel Mayrit
Courtesy of the artist

Tania Olive
Dyke of our Time Siobhan, 2012
Medium Format
© Tania Olive
Courtesy of the artist

Iris Brember
Untitled from series Photographs, 2012
Digital Photograph
© Iris Brember
Courtesy of the artist

Nicolas Feldmeyer
After All, 2012
Giclee Print on Hahnemuehle Photorag
© Nicolas Feldmeyer
Courtesy of the artist

Harry Mitchell
Men gather on a rooftop overlooking Tahrir Square
during a large Friday demonstration, in which more
than 100,000 people gathered to demonstrate against
the incumbent military junta, Cairo, 2012
20×24” Digital C-Type print
© Harry Mitchell
Courtesy of the artist

Italo Morales
War as disease – The condition of the postwar youth bears
the marks of a traumatic inception.
Insecurity, idleness and disenchantment are in fact easily
ascribed to some sort of premature birth, a Caesarean
section which has left wounds and scars, 2012
Digital print
© Italo Morales
Courtesy of the artist

Tina Remiz
Alexandra Enichek, medical student and part-time nurse.
Her collective consists of both Latvians and Russians in
almost equal proportions, each speaking their native language,
but understood by all, 2012
© Tina Remiz
Courtesy of the artist

Joanne Mullin
Untitled from the series Refuge, 2012
Medium format film
© Joanne Mullin
Courtesy of the artist

Kristin Hoell
Drowning I, 2012
© Kristin Hoell
Courtesy of the artist