Overview of the competition

Application is now open for the “COVID-19: The Bigger Picture” 2020 Photo Competition. The Thomson Reuters Foundation, in partnership with Omidyar Network, wants to uncover the stories of ordinary people living in extraordinary times, and in doing so, bring into sharp focus the human impact of COVID-19. Therefore, the two organizations are launching a photo contest inviting ordinary people to submit their photographic images capturing the genuine social impact of the pandemic, no matter wherever and in whatever form.

So, if your picture could tell a thousand words, then the camera is in your hands. This photo competition is open to anyone. Submit a photograph and win the award.

Details

Submission deadline: 28^th October 2020 (11:59 PM London time)

Organizer: Thomson Reuters Foundation

Award them: COVID-19 and its impact on people’s lives

Number of awards: 3

Result announcement date: 3oth November 2020

Benefits for the winners

• All Award recipients will receive an award certificate.
• Winners will have the opportunity to attend an online photojournalism masterclass run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s world-leading trainers. This masterclass will, through tailored mentoring and workshop, allow the Winners to hone their story-telling skills as well as identify how to best capture images to tell stories.
• Each Winner will also be offered the unique opportunity to work together with the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s news team on a piece of photojournalism content designated by the Thomson Reuters Foundation that will be shared via the Reuters global distribution news network.

Objectives

The main objectives of the Award are:

– fueling awareness of the human impact of COVID-19 by involving and scaling the substantially informative role of citizens reporting on these issues;

– discovering the many underreported dynamics related to COVID-19; and

– Encouraging citizen journalists and photography fans to report on the human impact of COVID-19

Eligibility

• The Award is open to everyone with a passion for photography. The extent of entrants’ interest may be professional, amateur, journalistic, a hobby, opportunistic, or even accidental. All entries should focus on the theme of the human impact of COVID-19.
• You do not have to be a journalist or photographer to apply.
• The Award is open only to those who are at least 18 years old on the last date for entry. Proof of age may be asked.
• Images submitted may be published or unpublished. All Photographs must be original but can be pre-existing or created especially for this Award.
• Entrants must be available to attend the online masterclass, which will be English-medium.
• Members of staff working in any of the organizer organizations or as any judge of them, immediate family and household members are ineligible to apply.
• Freelancers who work with the Omidyar Network, the Omidyar Group, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, or Thomson Reuters are eligible to submit their entries.
• Entrants may only submit (one) Photograph consisting of a single image.

Evaluation process

The judging panel will consist of international experts in photography and inclusive economies and will include representatives from the Thomson Reuters Foundation and Omidyar Network. Likewise, following the conclusion of the application process, the shortlisting process takes place, and then the shortlisted entries will be evaluated by the panel of judges in accordance with the evaluation criteria.

Evaluation criteria

The panel of judges will select winners from among the Finalists on the basis of the following criteria, each of which will carry equal weight:

(i) Coherence and relevance to the issues;

(ii) Depth and quality of the photography, including – Impartiality- Relatability and – Accuracy; and

(iii) Originality and creativity.

How to submit an entry?

To submit your photo, you may create an account on the Award Website and submit the photo along with all accompanying contents electronically.

Apply Now

The Photograph must be accompanied by:

• An explanation of the Photograph giving context and background (100-250 words);
• Biographical information about the Entrant (name, location, and confirmation of the fact that they meet the age criterion); and
• A clear headshot of the Entrant,

Note: any entry in contrast with the above eligibility criteria and lacking any of the items shall be deemed disqualified.

For more detailed information about the contest, please refer to the official link.