2:10 AM

Juwan (Justin) Yu is a student at Stanford University studying Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence and Electrical Engineering, with particular interest in the hardware aspects of camera technology and computational photography. He is a Korean-Canadian 18-year-old photographer based in B.C., Canada, who specializes in storytelling: converting environmental, social, and governing aspects of our world into a 3 X 2 film.

He's the founder & CEO of Acimona, a global Indigenous visual-ethnographic journal funded by Canon and Festival of Hope for championing one of the United Nations SDG goals, which has raised over $7,500 to support water access charities. He is also the youngest co-host of the 2022 Canadian Youth Photography Contest, which drew more than 113 applicants and awarded $1,600+ in student prizes.

His work ranges from documenting the TMX pipeline protest to the ongoing "Stranger Danger" series, driven by the struggles he sees and photography's unique ability to evoke emotions and enact societal change. Beyond his artistic pursuits, he is also a 2023 RISE Global Winner (1 of 100 from 14,000+ applicants) for his engineering research on the Electrochemical Pipe Scale Accelerator—a device that reduces lead contamination in water by 99% at 111x lower cost than pipe replacement, published in the International Journal of Science.

His work has earned him accolades at local and international levels, including: 2024 Canon Global Young Champion of the Year Finalist, 11 awards in Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards, 2x winner of Glasgow International Photography Competition, and placement in the permanent collection of Sogos Art Gallery in Scotland.

Currently, Juwan is developing an animation and film fusion documentary covering actual Indigenous elders who suffered from the Canadian residential school system, responsible for cultural genocide and sexual/physical abuse of tens of thousands of children. His goal is to humanize people and destigmatize healing while exploring the intersection of visual storytelling and engineering innovation.