This past weekend in Arles, France, the second-ever Dior Photography Award for Young Talents was given to Gangao Lang. The award is a part of Christian Dior Parfums, The École National Supérieure de la Photographie, and Luma Arles’ partnership to discover and support young talents.

Inspired by painting, the 21-year-old photographer from China stated that “Beauty is a global language, which takes a young girl with a dream as a starting point, and ends up as a woman with a vision.”

The House of Dior’s involvement in the arts makes perfect sense, and comes from its founder. Christian Dior once worked in his own art gallery, where he sold pieces by the likes of Picasso. The gallery was eventually closed during the Great Depression, which put him back on a fashion-oriented path.

Beyond the acclaim of the award itself, Gangao Lang will also receive a 10,000 euro grant from the House of Dior, who will also commission a unique piece from the artist.

You can see her photos, as well as photos by the nine other artists, at the Parc Des Ateliers from July 1st to September 22nd in Arles.

While art has never exactly been a wildly-funded industry or profession, it is really support from companies like the House of Dior that allows for dreams to come true among creative students. The weekend surely changed the lives and paths of all ten students, not just that of Gangao Lang (who, admittedly, was this writer’s favorite from the get-go).

See photos from the exhibit and from other contestants in the slideshow below.