Goto, who presented the award to Chen on behalf of the jury, commended him for his attempt to tell the latest visual stories by leveraging the best metaphorical power of imagery and showing the audience how such stories are created. 

"Fables and fairy tales teach us a lot. Before photography was invented, people used words and pictures to communicate various experiences and principles that both children and adults could understand," Goto said, adding that "as time goes by and technology evolves, even just in the realm of photography, storytelling has changed dramatically in the past 10 years."

However, the announcement of the award sparked a heated debate within the photography community over why Chen's AI-infused work scooped the coveted prize among lens-based artists in China.