From the jury report: In Plastic Sea, Perfect Storm—primarily created in Spain—Rob Hornstra reveals how the ineradicable global plague of plastic and the vulnerability of nature are intricately intertwined. The jury calls the sight of colorful plastic waste adorning plants like flowers nothing short of absurd. It is a condemnation of the reckless use of plastics in products and packaging: a serious issue, conveyed through a visual narrative that remains light in tone.

Photographed with unwavering stylistic consistency, the individual images reinforce one another, while some are so powerful they stand firmly on their own. Hornstra succeeds in capturing a plastic flower as overwhelmingly beautiful as nature itself can be.

The selected works will be on display during the SO’26 exhibition at Melkweg Expo, as well as on billboards across Amsterdam city center.