IFES 2012 Photography Contest Winners Announced
WASHINGTON — (March 6, 2012) — Images of painted party supporters celebrating an election victory in West Bengal, India, and a southern Sudanese man registering to vote for his country’s independence took top honors in the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ (IFES) 2012 Photography Contest.
IFES has recognized 22 photographs of elections, popular protests and other civic activities as winners and finalists in the democracy-themed contest. More than 450 eligible images were entered in two categories.
Sudipto Das won the Public Category with his photograph “Green Revolution,” which depicts supporters of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, India, painting their faces with green powder in honor of their party’s victory in local elections.
Phil Sforcina was named the winner in the IFES’ Choice Category, which is open to current and former IFES employees. His photograph “Mark of a Proud Citizen” shows the hand of a southern Sudanese voter being dipped in indelible ink to show he has registered for the January 2011 referendum that led to South Sudan’s independence.
Both winners will receive a $600 (USD) cash prize. All images names as winners or finalists will be featured online at www.IFES.org and displayed at IFES’ Washington, D.C., headquarters.
The contest was judged by David Alexander, Photoshare manager at Knowledge 4 Health (K4Health) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, David Pillinger, picture sales specialist for Thomson Reuters, and Pandora Todd, director of marketing at National Geographic magazine.
IFES has sponsored the annual contest since 2009 to highlight the many ways people around the world demonstrate a sense of civic responsibility. The contest seeks photographs of individuals taking part in elections or other activities that embody the values of democratic governance and civic engagement.
###
IFES is an independent, nonprofit leader in election assistance and democracy promotion. Since its founding in 1987, IFES has worked in 135 countries, from developing to mature democracies. For more information, visit www.IFES.org.
