Not everyone heads to the Georgia National Fair to unwind; for some, it’s the culmination of a year’s worth of work. Raising crops and creatures, Georgians compete to see who has the best cow, whose goat stands proudest.

For some, it’s a joyous moment as the early mornings pay off. For others, it’s a reminder that hard work can be its own reward and that, next year, there will be another fair.

For the sixth time, students from Grady College’s Advanced Photojournalism course spent an entire day, from the opening of the gates at 8 a.m. to the fireworks display 15 hours later, scouring the Georgia National Fairgrounds for the moments that show what the fair means to the attendees. Working with nine coaches who gave them feedback throughout the day, the students made more than 40,000 photos and walked, on average, 10 miles each.