Deadline: 14 July 2024

Applications are now open for the UNESCO International Photography Competition Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads 2024 . The annual Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads international photography competition offers an excellent opportunity for young people from all over the world to capture their understanding of the shared heritage of the Silk Roads through the lens of their camera.

Given that the visual arts, and in particular photography, are often used by young people today as a powerful tool for communication and self-expression, images have the potential to play a significant role in raising awareness of the key issues facing our contemporary world and help promote peace and understanding. The photo competition offers an opportunity for young people to connect with each other in a digital space and share their creativity and vision for our future.   

The Photo Contest of Young Eyes on the Silk Roads  is an opportunity for young people who live or have travelled in these regions to share their perceptions and deepen their understanding of the common cultural heritage and pluralistic identities emerging from the interactions and exchanges that take place along the Silk Road. Roads. The competition encourages the use of photography to amplify these interactions and cultural encounters in the contemporary world, to foster mutual understanding and promote peace between the diverse populations covered by the Silk Routes.

The competition is divided into two age categories: 14 to 17 and 18 to 25. For this year's 6th edition of the competition, participants are invited to submit their photographs that best summarise the shared heritage of the Silk Routes, under the theme "Celebrations of Life".

Prizes

• The first winners will receive a professional camera.
• The runners-up will receive a semi-professional camera.
• The prize for third place will be a standard digital camera. 

Eligibility

• Open to all people between the ages of 14 and 25, regardless of their country of residence, except UNESCO employees and the donor, the China World Peace Foundation, and their family members (parents, children, siblings and spouses).
• All digital images submitted must be at least 1,500 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,500 pixels high (if a vertical image) and must be in JPEG or JPG format. All entrants must be able to provide a high-resolution image suitable for printing on media or exhibition display, if selected.

Application

To confirm participation, each participant must follow the instructions below before 14th July 2024 at 23:59:59 (GMT+1h):

• Visit the page  participation
• Upload a maximum of 20 photos:
  • Include a caption for each photograph or series of photographs, in digital format (JPEG or JPG).
  • The quality of the photographs must be at least 1,500 pixels wide for horizontal images and 1,500 pixels high for vertical images.  

To take part, participants must have access to the Internet.