Lesbos - Island of Hope

• Photographer
  Sandra Hoyn
• Prizes
  Bronze in Editorial/Environmental

The safety jackets seen on the Greek island of Lesbos are symbols of journey, survival and death. Lesbos has become one the main entry points to Europe for refugees. There were 491,286 arrivals on Lesbos from January till 26 December in 2015 according to UNHCR. People fleeing war and poverty, mostly fom Syria but also from countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran or Morocco, have made their way through Turkey to Greece by sea. The transfer on inflatable dinghies across the Aegean Sea is risky and expensive, the boats are crowded with 40-60 people, each one of them has paid between 1,000 and 2,000 USD.