IFES Names Winners, Finalists in 2011 Photography Contest
Images of Egypt protest, south Sudan referendum take top honors in democracy-themed contest
WASHINGTON — Twenty-two images of popular protests, elections, political campaigns and civic action have been named winners and finalists in the 2011 Photography Contest sponsored by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
The third-annual contest drew approximately 500 entries from professional and amateur photographers from around the world. Images were judged in two categories: a public category open to photographers aged 18 and older, and an IFES’ Choice category open to current IFES employees.
The winning photograph in the public category was “The Egyptian Revolution” by Jonathan Rashad, an image of a man holding an Egyptian flag during a demonstration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in February.
The IFES’ Choice category was won by Matthew Parry’s photograph “Issuing Referendum Ballot,” which depicts a southern Sudanese woman receiving her ballot paper during the region’s referendum on self-determination in January.
The winners each will receive a $600 (USD) cash prize. All winning and finalist images will be featured online at www.IFES.org and displayed in IFES’ Washington headquarters.
“I am proud and thankful for the many contributions to this year’s contest — proud of the quality of submissions and grateful for the images that help reinforce the importance of enhancing citizen participation and improving access to the electoral process,” said IFES Senior Outreach Manager Jeff Brady, who organized the contest.
Judges for the 2011 contest were David Alexander, Photoshare manager at Knowledge 4 Health (K4Health) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Pandora Todd, director of marketing at National Geographic magazine, and Greg Whitesell, professional photographer and former director of photography at the Washington Examiner.
Since 2009, IFES has sponsored this annual democracy-themed contest to highlight the many ways people around the world demonstrate a sense of civic responsibility and call to action. The contest seeks photographs of individuals taking part in elections or other activities that embody the values of democratic governance and civic engagement.
To view a photo gallery of the images that were selected as winners and finalists, please click here.
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The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is the leading election assistance and democracy promotion non-governmental organization.
IFES promotes democratic stability by providing technical assistance and applying field-based research to the electoral cycle worldwide to enhance citizen participation and strengthen civil societies, governance and transparency.
