When NC State magazine decided to profile a North Carolina State University alumna living in war-torn Ukraine, we knew we would not be able to set up the kinds of photo shoots we would normally do for such a story. We wanted to tell the story of the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the eyes of Darya Levchenko, who studied English and film on a Fulbright grant at NC State, and use her words to illustrate the willpower of Ukrainian people. As we worked on the story, even finding out where Levchenko was from week to week proved difficult. We decided to go all in on illustrations and hired Yevgenia Nayberg, an award-winning artist in New York City who herself hails from Kyiv. In a watercolor style with a subdued yellow and blue palette, her illustrations portray emotional scenes, from the intimacy of Levchenko comforting her dogs in her apartment to a country torn apart by an invasion and war. The result was a stunning set of visuals that included key descriptions in the story, such as the masking-tape “X” on Levchenko’s window to keep glass from shattering if a bomb hits nearby.
From the Judges
This moving profile demonstrates creativity and adaptability in storytelling. We praised this piece for effectively conveying the mood and emotions of its subject.
