Congratulations to our 2011 Activist Award Winners & Finalists!
Want to see how the winner’s were decided? Check out this video from our Live Judging Event
Professional Grand Prize Winner -
Dreams - The parents' dream is for their boys to be educated. They strongly believe that the success of their family lies in education.
Inge Kathleen Hooker on behalf of The International Center of Bowling Green:
“90 Days is a story of a Burmese refugee family of six, two parents and four young boys. In January of 2009, they traveled from a Thai refugee camp to resettle in the United States. The story begins the day the arrived in the United States and follows them as they try to settle and adapt to their very new, strange life, in rural USA.”
Deedee is a feisty, affectionate donkey who was born in 1974 and has lived at Star Gazing Farm for several years.
Sharon Hart on behalf of Farm Sanctuary:
“I chose to photograph at the sanctuaries because the animals have been removed from abusive and other extreme situations and are now getting the best care possible, which allowed me to accurately depict their personalities. The animals at the sanctuaries have escaped from slaughterhouses and live meat markets, lived through animal testing and cockfighting, and other unspeakable horrors. At the sanctuaries they are free to live out their lives without fear.”
Quezon City Detention Center with a capacity of 1,200 detainees has an average population of 3,500-4,000.
Ricardo Rocamora on behalf of HumanWrongs.org:
“While working in the Philippines last March, Human Wrongs approached me to help them produce a photo-documentary without compensation that the Philippine Supreme Court can use to shape judicial policy and initiate reforms. They needed photographs to show the pitiful state of Philippine detention centers, inhuman treatment of prisoners, need of speedy disposition of cases and the right to bail of poor prisoners. Also, to focus on the slow state of the Philippine judiciary.”
One of the thousands of children who had his eyes examined in Malawi.
Paolo Patruno on behalf of Seva Canada:
“Without urgent care, children face a lifetime of blindness and missed potential. There’s a terrible cycle of blindness and poverty with blindness; having a blind person to care for drives families deeper into poverty.
My photographic work for Seva in Malawi focused on the activities at the Lions Sight First Eye Hospital in Blantyre: the project focuses mainly on children with cataract in order to provide appropriate treatment, including surgery, follow- up and provision of prescription glasses.”
Family does laundry outside their house.
Anush Babajanyan on behalf of Third Nature NGO:
“The photo essay represents a program this organization implemented in 2009 called “Protection of the Constitutional Rights of Families Living in Temporary Houses in Armenia.” Within the framework of this program, I photographed several districts in the town of Gyumri in 2009 and 2010, where people still live in temporary houses or shelters provided by the government in the year of 1988, after a devastating earthquake in Armenia, which took the lives of nearly 25,000 people. Those who were provided or were able to build themselves temporary homes, were promised to have new houses or apartments within two years. However, more than twenty years have passed, and nearly 4,000 families are living in these shelters called domiks (houses in Russian), and still do not have adequate living conditions.”
Students read together.
Anne Salminen-Cesari on behalf of Songa Mbele na Masomo, supervised by Sisters of Mercy Institute:
“Songa Mbele na Masomo which in Swahili means ‘Moving Ahead with Education’ is an educational center based near the Mukuru slum of Nairobi. The center is assisting both children who dropped out the school or never managed to join, and physically and mentally challenged children. Their aim is to send back to school as many children as possible or to coach the pupils within the center and register them as private candidates for certificate of primary education.”
Aishat Dzhavatkhanova, 57, visits the grave of her son on November 23, 2010 outside Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia.
Oxana Onipko on behalf of Pravozashita:
“Away from the headlines, the conflict takes its toll on ordinary people. Every month brings new disappearances and murders. Often, the family members claim their loved ones have no connection to the militants, and it almost always remains unknown what, if anything, they have done to deserve such harsh punishment. There is no rhyme or reason to the pseudo-judicial executions, as if a misplaced word here or there, is sufficient invitation for a visit by a shadowy squad of armed men.
I chose to work with Pravozashita because it is very active and dedicated to stopping violence and dealing with the effects of its aftermath.”
Children from the Sivummut Head Start Program touch the head of an arctic char, while in their daily culture circle.
Stephanie Foden on behalf of The Ottawa Inuit Children’s Center:
“I was in a quest to find a meaningful story while temporarily living in Ottawa. I came across the OICC and knew I had found my story. I wanted to show Ottawa, Canada and the world about this amazing center and all it has to offer. It’s truly a unique organization and I aim to raise awareness about this positive development for the urban Inuit people.”
Cher Smith pushes her daughter Olivia in a stroller while she walks with her daughter Opal back from their swimming hole to their home.
Tim Harris on behalf of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms:
“I was motivated to work with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms – USA (WWOOF-USA) because I have personally seen the benefits of their organization while starting my photographic work on the farm.
I photographed the interns that WWOOF-USA and connected with Bugtussle Farm and was able to see first hand the education of sustainable agriculture that takes place in the field. I am glad that organizations like WWOOF are involved in helping young people pursue opportunities in organic agriculture.”
MURAL PAINTING: I took this picture to show how creative youth are. I was with a lot of people with passion for art. It moved me to do more. -Mohamed
Critical Exposure submitted by Adam Levner
“Critical Exposure was founded in 2004 by a former educator and an education policy analyst in response to drastic disparities that exist between public schools and the lack of arts education for low-income youth. Our mission is to teach youth how to use the power of photography and their own voices to become effective advocates for school reform and social change. In pursuit of this mission, Critical Exposure has developed a straightforward but unique approach: give at-risk students cameras and training in photography and writing; encourage them to capture images that show the realities of their lives; and teach them how to use photographs and writing to tell their stories and to advocate for concrete policy changes.”
