Friends of the Earth International is excited to announce our fifth annual photo competition, carried out this year for the first time in collaboration with La vía Campesina and the Movement of Victims Affected by Climate Change. This international photo competition will gather photos from around the world on the theme of “Acting in Solidarity and Building Movements for Change”.

The best shots will be featured in materials produced by these organizations and social movements, including a 2011 calendar and an international photo exhibition.

The theme of this year’s competition grew from our conviction that people working together can have a powerful impact in bringing about a better world.

Acting in solidarity is when people join together to support each other’s struggles. It involves understanding, responsibility, commitment, and for people in many parts of the world, great courage. Without solidarity, movements cannot grow and bring about the social, environmental, economic and political change that people around the world are calling for.

In recent years, we have seen the massive growth of movements for change. These movements are mobilizing people who reject the current model of neoliberal economic globalization and environmental destruction in favor of a peaceful, just and sustainable world. As these movements grow in size and power, they offer a serious challenge to the ‘business-as-usual’ model that exploits people and the environment.