3rd prize. Threshing rice in rural Tanzania (Simon Golds, United Kingdom. Used with permission.)
This year I was a member of the jury of the Adaptation Fund’s 2012 photography competition, which had the theme of Food and Agriculture. There were many strong images among the 11 semi-finalists, all of which provided information well-worth reading, detailing specific issues faced by communities challenged by climate change. The jury selected the top three winners as follows: 3rd prize went to Simon Golds of the UK for his image of a woman threshing rice in Tanzania, 2ndprize went to Antonio Perez on Spain for his photo of strawberry pickers in the Moroccan Rif and the judges winner was Ihsan Ilze of Turkey for his strong yet simple image of a women walking with the produce among greenhouses in Turkey. Women were the dominant subjects in the winning photos, which highlights the global importance of women in working and supporting themselves and their families. All of the winning images combined simple and artistic compositions with creative use of lighting while at the same time highlighting the global issues and solutions faced.
The aim of the competition was to show “how people are adapting their approaches to growing and supplying food as climate change transforms agricultural conditions around the world”. The competition was held in September and October and the winners were announced at the Adaptation Fund’s side event at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations in Doha, Qatar on December 3. Other members of the panel were Ms. Alexandra Garcia, Director of Operations, International League of Conservation Photographers; Ms. Karen Kasmauski, Professional Photographer; Pedro Armestre, Professional Photographer and Dr. Samuel Sidibé, Directeur Général, Musée National du Mali. 170 photos were submitted from Bangladesh, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Mali, Madagascar, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal, Republic of Congo, Spain, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States.
Congratulations to the Adaptation Fund in organizing their second annual photography competition and I wish them success in their mission to assist developing countries to adapt to the negative effects of climate change.