My City – photography competition
What does urban environment mean to you? The European Environment Agency (EEA) invites you to share moments captured in European cities in the ‘My City’ photography competition.
Around 75% of population of the EU have chosen urban areas as their place to live. Europeans have adopted urban lifestyles and they use city amenities such as cultural, educational or health services. While cities are the engine of Europe’s economy and creators of European wealth, they depend heavily on resources of other regions to meet their demand for resources like energy, water, food, and to accommodate waste and emissions.
Environmental challenges and urbanisation opportunities are closely connected. Many cities struggle to cope with social, economic and environmental problems resulting from pressures such as overcrowding or decline, social inequity, pollution and traffic. On the other hand, the proximity of people, businesses and services provides opportunities to build a more resource-efficient Europe. Already, population density in cities means shorter journeys to work and services, and more walking, cycling or public transport use, while apartments in multi-family houses or blocks require less heating and less ground space per person. As a result, urban dwellers on average consume less energy and land per capita than do rural residents.
Finding the balance between density and compactness on one hand and quality of life in a healthy urban environment on the other is a major challenge for Europe’s urban areas.
My City photo competition invites European citizens to share what urban environment means to them. They can choose to depict a European city of their choice, tell a positive or a negative story through their submissions. Participants can focus on one of the following three categories:
1. Sustainable lifestyle in a city
How does my lifestyle impact the environment? Can I change my shopping list and eating habits to help combat climate change? A shower or a bath? Solar panels or a vegetable garden on my roof?
2.Getting around in a city
Do I cycle or drive? What is the quickest and most pleasant way to get to work or school? Do I enjoy the journey on public transport?
3.Leisure time in a city
A stroll in the parks or a dive in the lake? Going to the theatre or for a run? What is the best way of experiencing my city? How do I spend my free time?
Competition winners will receive a cash prize, and all entries may be promoted by the EEA and its partners across Europe.
How to enter?
1.Take or create an original photo (long side >2000px) supported by a short text and following the guidelines in the Competition rules.
2.Submit your entry through the online submission form.
Submission deadline: 15 August 2016 at 23:59 (CEST). Entry is free of charge.
The competition is open to citizens of the EEA member countries and West Balkan cooperating countries. All participants must be 18 or older. The cities depicted in the entries must be located in the countries mentioned above.
You must have full copyrights to the submitted material. By submitting an entry, you will be presumed to have agreed to accept the Competition rules and the Terms and Conditions. One entrant may submit maximum 5 entries in total in the competition. As each entry will be handled separately, you need to fill out the online submission form for each entry if you choose to submit more than one entry.
Due to the perceived high volume of last-minute entries, we advise you to submit your entry well in advance of the submission deadline.
If you have questions about the competition, please send an email to [email protected].
Competition details
Prizes
The winners will be awarded a cash prize of EUR 1000 in each category (Sustainable lifestyle in a city; Getting around in a city; Leisure time in a city), and EUR 500 for the Public Choice award and the Youth Prize.
The Youth Prize will be awarded to the winning entry, selected among those submitted by persons aged between 18 and 24 (born between calendar years 1992-1998) to any of the competition categories.
All the finalists will be put forward for the Public Choice Award and may also feature in future digital and print material from the EEA and its European partners.
The copyright of the materials submitted for this competition remains with respective participants. However, each entrant grants the EEA and its partners the right to use the submitted materials in its environmental communication crediting the copyright owners.
Selection process
The EEA will appoint a pre-selection committee consisting of communication and environment experts that will select 30-50 finalists, which will then be submitted to an external jury. The jury composed of environmental communication experts from across Europe will determine the winners, with the exception of the Public Choice Award.
For the Public Choice Award, the finalist entries put forward by the pre-selection committee will be open for a public vote 12 September – 15 October 2016.
The winners will be notified by email. Therefore it is crucial to provide correct contact information. The announcement of the winners will be made in October 2016.
Timetable
| Submissions open | 15 April 2016 |
| Submissions closed | 15 August 2016 |
| Public vote opens | 12 September 2016 |
| Public vote closes | 15 October 2016 |
| Winners announced | End of October 2016 |
Links
Public vote – opens 12 September 2016
Πηγή: www.eea.europa.eu
