TEMPLE CITY — Ringo Chiu has spent years documenting some of Southern California’s most difficult moments from behind a camera. Now, the Temple City photojournalist is receiving recognition for work that has connected communities through visual storytelling.
Chiu received the Building Bridges Award as part of Rep. Judy Chu’s 2026 Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards. The Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist was among 10 individuals and organizations honored from California’s 28th Congressional District.
“This year’s honorees are our everyday leaders, the educators, volunteers, activists, and small business owners who have made a real difference in the San Gabriel Valley,” Chu said in announcing the awards.
Chiu’s assignments have placed him at wildfires, demonstrations, immigration enforcement operations and other major events. According to Chu’s office, he has repeatedly put himself at risk while documenting events affecting California communities.
Ringo Chiu Receives Building Bridges Recognition
For Chiu, community service often takes place behind a camera and sometimes far beyond Temple City.
His photographs allow people to witness events they could not see firsthand. Images from a wildfire can document destruction and residents’ responses. Photographs from demonstrations or enforcement operations can record moments of fear, loss, resilience and cooperation.
Chu’s office credited Chiu’s visual storytelling with connecting people, inspiring empathy and strengthening communities during crises. Those qualities are reflected in the Building Bridges Award.
Photography also preserves a record of local and regional history. Long after an event ends, images can remain among the clearest accounts of what residents experienced and how communities responded.
Readers can learn more about Chu and the 28th Congressional District through Rep. Judy Chu’s official website at https://chu.house.gov.
Awards Recognize Service Across District
Chiu was one of 10 honorees recognized through Chu’s annual awards program. Recipients represented journalism, education, business, nonprofit service, volunteerism, youth advocacy and community activism.
Robert “Bob” L. Gin received the Lifetime Achievement Award for decades of service to public education in Alhambra and Monterey Park.
Gin has served on the Alhambra Unified School District Board of Education for more than 24 years. Chu’s office credited him with helping guide the district’s development into a unified TK-12 system. He also expanded educational opportunities and mentored generations of students through leadership programs. Gin is concluding his final school board term.
Other recipients included businesses and nonprofit organizations that helped Altadena residents recover following the Eaton Fire. Chu also recognized longtime volunteers, community activists and a La Cañada Flintridge student who founded an organization supporting children with serious illnesses.
“I’m proud to recognize them all, not only for their accomplishments, but for the lasting impact they make every single day,” Chu said.
For Temple City residents, Ringo Chiu Receives Building Bridges recognition for work that shows journalism’s role in connecting communities. His photographs have created a visual record of events that shaped Southern California while giving viewers a closer look at the people who experienced them.
This time, the person behind the camera received the recognition.
