I am from Moscow, Russia. Still, I want to take part with a picture of modern Sweden. This is a country I really like. This is a country that I perceive as my “gateway to Europe".This picture was taken in the wilderness village of Solberget in Lapland. Text and photo: Alexandra Parkhomenko


I have been studying at Chalmers for about nine months, and Chalmers Big Jump Open has to be the most bizarre thing I have seen in a long time. A ski jumping competition inside a university campus, right in front of the student union building, with snow imported from the countryside! This underscores how important sports are to most Swedes, even when they are trapped inside a big city. Text and photo: Alexandre Buisse


The people who live in the falu red cabins have more varied backgrounds. This is Axel, who loves the ”little cottage” life in the summer. His heritage is both Swedish and Jamaican. Text and photo: Anna Gullers


Pride has come to the city and with it a parade. People are hanging out of the windows; there’s a drink or maybe a glass of wine on the table by the window. Spirits are high. All the colors of the rainbow are ablaze in umbrellas and streamers. Music, laughter and shouts spring from the street below. It’s time for Stockholm’s Pride Festival, a pride parade well-worth its name. Text and photo: Clara Norbeck


Markus is on paternal leave from his job for six months so he can take care of his son, Allan. During the day, they go to the open-plan pre-school, play in the park or, like today, attend a swimming class for toddlers. In the pool, the children learn how to float and put their heads under water. Text and photo: Clara Norbeck

For decades, Swedes have been perceived as having a very liberal attitude toward sex. This has almost always been an exaggerated view. Today, the common perception is no longer that tall blondes wander the streets offering free sex to anyone who is willing, but our view of sexuality is still a very tolerant one. Every summer, homo- bi- and transsexuals march for their rights at the conclusion of the Pride Festival. Text and photo: Daniel Holking 

I was home for a quick visit from my seasonal job in Norway and felt like taking a stroll to see what was going on. I think that this time I was really able to capture what is beautiful in Sweden and “my” island, after living somewhere else for several months. The picture show the mix of the old and the new, with glass and the straight lines of the architecture. Text and photo: Fredrik Stålhandske


This picture of theTjörnbron bridge was taken from the mainland. It’s our lifeline, making it possible for us to live well out here on an island off the west coast. It was a cold, clear March evening, and we simply had to stand outside and enjoy the spectacle. Text and photo: Fredrik Stålhandske


As the city becomes more crowded, more smoke-filled and uglier, more and more people want to beautify it with their own decorations, like this crochet graffiti. With its warm colors, it embellishes a lamp post in Stockholm’s Söder district. Mosaics, knit graffiti, paintings, markings – they turn up in cities everywhere, maybe as a protest? Text and photo: Hanna Andersson


New Year’s Eve! The night when everything can begin anew. Text and photo: Johan Ylitalo


I took this picture in Borås last summer at one of the many giant trampolines that adorn our gardens these days. This picture makes me very happy. Text and photo: Jonna Fallhagen


To “live like a king” is a matter of course in Sweden. Some people hang around bars, others sit and talk with friends, and the rest crowd together on a dance floor all night long. It really doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re having fun! Text and photo: Nicklas Öhlin


Nowadays, the schools are almost like individual companies. I took this picture for the school catalogue when they needed to revitalize themselves and wanted more children to choose their school over others. Text and photo: Pierre Friberg


Darkness has now enveloped Gothenburg. In spite of the lack of sunshine, the city is light and full of life. Night life bubbles with activities that attract both party types and those who want quieter entertainment. This picture was taken from Ramberget, my favorite lookout point. Text and photo: Yvonne Isaksson