If you live in New York, you’ve probably looked up at Grand Central’s starry ceiling. You’ve checked yourself in the shine of the clock. Certainly, you’ve gotten swept along with the rush of people through Vanderbilt Hall at some point. For over 100 years, the station has been both a symbol of the city and the hub of its daily activity. However, this October (6th-19th), Grand Central will play a different role. For two weeks, it will serve as a gallery of gratitude. Grand Central will be transformed by the exhibition Dear New York.
That transformation comes courtesy of photographer Brandon Stanton, best known for creating the Humans of New York series. In partnership with the NYC Public Schools Arts Office, Stanton is presenting Dear New York. This is an exhibition featuring 300 portraits taken by elementary, middle, and high school students from across the five boroughs.
Each portrait centers on someone meaningful to the student who captured it. This could be a teacher who made a difference or a neighbor who always lends a hand. Perhaps they will capture a parent who shows up no matter what. These are not celebrities or public figures but the people who quietly keep communities going. “On the surface, this is a photography exhibition,” Stanton explains, “but I’m hopeful it will create thousands of meaningful connections between the children of New York and the adults who show up in their lives.”
A Contest with Heart
The idea is both simple and expansive. Every student who submits an entry will see their work included in an online gallery. From those submissions, 300 portraits will be professionally framed and displayed in Vanderbilt Hall. After the exhibition, each selected student will receive their framed print in the mail. Additionally, they will receive two $50 gift cards to a local independent bookstore. One of these is for the student, and one for the person they chose to honor. Don’t forget to have your child include that person’s name in the entry. Make sure to submit by Sunday, September 28, to meet the deadline.
Students should take a portrait of someone in the community whom they wish to honor. They will then write a short statement (500 words or fewer) about the impact that person has had on their life. Younger children are encouraged to keep their reflections simple. They are allowed to write just a couple of sentences. Conversely, older students are invited to dig deeper into storytelling.
To guide them, the contest guidelines offer a few prompts:
- Why does this person deserve to be honored?
- How would you describe them to someone who’s never met them?
- What difference have they made in your life?
- What lessons have they taught you?
Photography for Everyone
One of the most refreshing aspects of the contest is that it isn’t about technical perfection or expensive equipment. Students are welcome to use any camera they have on hand, including on their own devices or their parents’ phones. The focus, Stanton emphasizes, is on artistry, sincerity, and story.
Practical tips are included in the open call to help students make the most of what they’ve got. Use natural light whenever possible, keep backgrounds simple, and capture both horizontal and vertical versions of the portrait. Additionally, focus on genuine expressions that reveal something about the subject. For the text, the entry guidelines advise: instead of writing “my grandmother,” students are encouraged to share a specific moment that shows kindness in action.
Stanton’s Ongoing Love Letter to New York
This project arrives at a pivotal moment in Stanton’s career. Just as the student exhibition debuts, Stanton will release his latest book, Dear New York (October 7, St. Martin’s Press). At nearly 500 pages, the volume is a sweeping tribute to the city, filled with new stories and portraits from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. More than three-quarters of the material has never been published before, offering readers a fresh look at the city through Stanton’s lens.
Like Humans of New York, which grew from a humble blog into a global phenomenon, Dear New York, the book, is less about photography as an art form and more about what images can unlock. Humor, heartbreak, resilience, contradictions, fleeting moments of connection—all of it comes together to capture the essence of the city and its people.
By giving students a parallel platform at Grand Central, Stanton extends that ethos to the next generation of storytellers. The portraits may lack the polish of professional work, but they carry something more valuable: the honesty of being seen through the eyes of someone who loves you.
A Citywide Thank-You
At its heart, Dear New York is more than an exhibition—it’s a way of saying thank you. In a city that can sometimes feel overwhelming or anonymous, this project pushes back. It says connection matters, that the people who show up for us matter, and that every small thank-you counts.
For Stanton’s new book, it’s yet another chapter in his ongoing mission to capture the soul of New York once again—through the diverse people who comprise it.
In a recent interview with Macmillan Library Marketing, Stanton discussed covering the city for his Dear New York book, utilizing all the photo and interviewing skills he learned over the past 15 years working on Humans of New York. “I wanted this new book to be the most powerful distillation and celebration of the city that I could make. The writing and storytelling are equally important. I started with just photos of New Yorkers, and then I included short interviews and snippets; subsequently, I began writing these much longer-form stories. They were always in the voice of the person I was interviewing, and after doing them for a month or two, I would write a 7,000- to 12,000-word story.”
“So,” he continues, “Dear New York is my love letter to the city, but the [16-page] intro where I step out from behind my camera is my first time speaking in my own voice about the experience of creating Humans of New York, and specifically, my love of the city. It’s really an engagement of the diversity of the city, it’s the people who make this city, what that means, and I worked very hard on it, and I’m very proud of it.”
Students Forging Their Own Paths
And now with the “Dear New York” photo contest, Stanton allows the students of this great city to forge their own paths and explore their own meaningful connections.
Entries will be accepted and reviewed through Submittable on the NYC Public Schools Arts Office site by Sunday, September 28, 2025. For more information, click here.
Check out Stanton’s new book, Dear New York, here.
