"These photographs show people across Africa acting to protect their natural environment at a local level. We must amplify these voices as leaders gather in Copenhagen for the climate change meeting in just over two weeks time, because the developing world stands to lose the most from the effects of climate change," said Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator, at the awards ceremony and exhibition opening in New York today.
The Picture This: Caring for the Earth photo contest was organized earlier this year by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Olympus Corporation and the Agence France-Presse (AFP) Foundation, and aimed to profile ordinary people working to preserve the environment and reduce the effects of climate change in their communities.
The first prize winners are Jacob Otieno, a Kenyan newspaper photo editor, in the professional category; Faiza Hajji Wozniak, a social entrepreneur from Morocco, in the photo essay category and Simon Ndegwa, a Kenyan youth pastor in the amateur category. They were presented with their awards which include a certificate of acknowledgement from UNDP, and digital cameras and camera equipment from Olympus Corporation. The winner of the professional category will receive a two-week internship at one of AFP’s bureaus in Africa. The second and third place winners are from Cameroon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Senegal and South Africa, and all received digital cameras from Olympus.
"Olympus provides extensive support to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a member of the United Nations Global Compact. This project is shining a spotlight on ordinary people’s actions, which when combined, demonstrate a massive commitment to preserving our world," said Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, President of Olympus. "As private companies, and at an individual level, we all stand to lose if we do not engage in this movement."
The contest was inspired by the 15th Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Want to stay in the loop? Register with our World of Photo newsletter, and receive the latest news articles regularly.
