Thank you to all the participants and supporters of this contest for 2012! We had 26 entries this year that we will be breaking up into two categories: "USA Category" (photos taken inside the United States) and "International Category" (photos taken outside the United States). There will be three winners chosen for each category and from those six we will select the overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Please stay tuned in here, we will announce the winners and post the photos as the judging finishes. We hope to have the overall winners announced by December 6th, 2012.
Thanks agian!
Who lives where the soil is most poisoned, where the air is most toxic, and where the water is not fit to drink? In much of the world it is the poorest members of society; the ones who cannot afford to live elsewhere. Where is the justice in that? What can we do about it? Poverty and pollution are international issues that know no boundaries. We all are part of the problem and can be part of the solution.
Do you have a story to tell about poverty, pollution and/or ecological injustice? Joining Hands* San Francisco, Cascades, and the UMAVIDA network in Bolivia are pleased to announce the second annual "Poverty & Pollution" photojournalism competition and international exhibition. The goals of the contest are:
The goals of the contest are:
- To encourage young people in the United States, Bolivia and the rest of the world to explore and document the many facets of poverty and pollution in their communities
- To provide an international stage for winning photos and descriptions
- To raise awareness and educate the public on the global issues of poverty & pollution
*Joining Hands is a series of local partnerships between the developing world and individual presbyteries of churches in the United States under the Presbyterian Hunger Program. The San Francisco and Cascades presbyteries are partnered with Bolivia, hence our work with them on this project.
- Age limits: 16-25 year olds
- Entry deadline: November 16th 2012
- Juried exhibition
- Youth may enter individually or as a team
- Photo-documentary style
- All entries must be in a series of three photos with captions
The contest is open to youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25 who are invited to enter a themed series of three photos, individually or as a team, by November 16th. An independent panel of judges will select three winning sets of photos to be displayed alongside the winning sets from Bolivia and all other participating countries in a simultaneous international photography exhibit in the US, Bolivia and the other countires.
The theme "Poverty & Pollution" is intentionally broad. The participating youth are encouraged to illustrate any local aspect of this global problem. A little research into these issues in your community may lead to many intriguing possibilities!
The winning photos will be featured alongside the winning photos from Bolivia in our International Poverty & Pollution Exhibition that will be displayed both in the the US and Bolivia starting in December, 2012. In addition, we will be awarding the following prizes:
- Grand Prize: Choice of a new 11" MacBook Air OR a sponsored trip to attend the four-day International Youth Environmental Congress in Peru, Jan. 2013 (airfare and expenses paid, allow a week with travel).
- The remaining prize unclaimed by the first place contestant.
- Third Prize: $100
Here are some resources that may be helpful in getting you started in thinking about the links between poverty and pollution.
Van Jones gives a fantastic TED Talk highlighting the links between povery and pollution:
Here is an insigtful study done in 2009 by researchers from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California that uses EPA data from the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) to break down which poor communities face greater health risk from toxic pollution nation wide.
Entries are closed for 2012. If you ahve any quesitons or would liek to participate in 2013 please submit them to the following email:
Here is an example series that contest co-founder Jay Gregory shot while in Bolivia in 2010. We will be looking for similar quality, consistency and insight in your submitted images.
The use of these farm lands outside the Chuquichambi village, Bolivia, are lost to extreme salination. The villagers beleive this is a direct result of the neighboring strip mine.
Ajnota Quispe Huayhua tends her flock of sheep outside the high desert village of Chuquichambi, Bolivia, while facing concerns of contaminated lands & drinking water.
Eduardo Sempertegui bikes back to his home outside Chuquichambi village, Bolivia, with drinking water from the communal well. Despite growing concerns of toxins in the water from the neighboring strip mine Eduardo and his family must use this water as they have no other alternative.