Share Your Image of Southeast Europe – photo competition launched!

Brussels, 21 October 2009. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement launched today the Southeast Europe: People and Culture photo competition. This pan-European contest offers anyone with an interest in photography an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and technical skills through photos depicting culture and sports in Southeast Europe.

The competition focuses on art, dance & theatre, film, gastronomy, literature, music, sports and everyday life in contemporary Western Balkans (Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99) and Turkey. Participants are asked to express their vision on the competition themes by submitting a maximum of three pictures by either uploading them on the website, or sending them by post. The deadline for submissions is 20 January 2010.

All entries will be reviewed by an international jury. The jury will select twenty-four semi-finalists and three winners based on the visualisation of the competition themes, the degree of creativity, originality, and clarity of presentation, and the general appeal of the image. A fourth winner will be chosen amongst the semi-finalists by the general public, who can vote for their favourite online  between 2 February and 16 March 2010.

The four prize-winners will have their photos exhibited in two galleries, in Madrid and Brussels, in spring 2010. They will be invited to the opening events of the exhibitions.

The goal of the Southeast Europe: People and Culture photo competition is to raise awareness and to present the cultures of the Western Balkans and Turkey whilst showing the dynamism of the cultural, gastronomic and sports scenes of the region. By submitting their pictures, participants will have a chance to show their unique and personal view of the region.

The Southeast Europe: People and Culture photo competition is open to all residents of the European Union as well as the Southeast European Candidate Countries (Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and Potential Candidates (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244/99).

1.2 Persons employed by the European Commission, organisers or members of the jury involved in the competition, are not eligible to participate.

1.3 Each participant may submit up to three photos to the competition.