Arts, Culture and Sport
Winners of Africa 2017 Photo Competition announced
The Agility Africa 2017 Photo Competition announced its three winners. The pictures were judged based on “the story of today’s Africa – young, growing, urbanizing, and tech-savvy.” The competition gives the opportunity for Africans to redefine the image of the continent.
A photograph, as they say speaks louder than words. Most importantly, pictures tell a story, a fact that the Africa 2017 Photo Competition acknowledged saying “The story of today’s Africa – young, growing, urbanizing, and tech-savvy – needs to be told.”
The competition sought for entries in three categories; industry, technology and cities. Each category came with a prize of $2000 and the competition was open to amateur and professional photographers. The caveat was however “images that will open the eyes of the world to today’s vibrant, modern African reality.” The grand prize winner received an additional $2,000. The winning photographs will also be featured in leading magazines and events.
The contest which is in its third year saw 4,500 photos submitted to the competition out of which only three were chosen. The industry category was won by Mohamed Kamal from Egypt for his picture depicting hot air balloons flying over Luxor in Egypt.
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The industry category was won by Mohamed Kamal from Egypt for his picture depicting hot air balloons flying over Luxor in Egypt. Photo: Facebook/ Africa 2017 Agility Competition
The cities category was won by Kenya’s Joshua Wanyama who took a picture of Nairobi as evening fell on the city.
The Grand Prize & Tech winner was Judith Hermetter from Britain. Her picture captured Malawian girls using a tablet to read Chichewa. Hermetter said in a press release “technology has the potential of being transformational – it can provide personalized quality education in a cost-efficient and scalable way.”
The competition was judged by an independent panel that consisted of Sneha Shah, Managing Director, Thomson Reuters Africa; Bronwyn Nielsen, Editor-in-Chief, CNBC Africa; and Salim Amin, Chairman of CameraPix and co-founder of Africa24 Media the release stated.
This Malawian girl is learning to read her language, Chichewa, on a tablet at her own pace. This was the winning photo for the Africa 2017 Photo Competition. The photo was taken by Judith Hermetter from Britain.
Photo: Facebook/Africa 2017
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Nielsen said, “Agility’s photo competition is key to getting the message out about what is really going on in Africa – the alternative energy sources from wind, sun and water; the leading edge technology in schools; the tourism opportunities, and our vibrant and growing cities.”
Unlike many pictures in the mainstream media that portray Africa in the light of poverty, war and diseases, these pictures show another side of Africa that is hardly shown in the media. The clarion call for Africans to own their narrative and define their story is definitely taking gradual step with such initiatives as the Agility Photo Competition.