Friend-Ship winners announced
Launched on World Suicide Prevention Day, the Friend-Ship Award invited photographers to reach out to family and friends and take a celebratory portrait or an image encapsulating the value of friendship.
Over four thousand photographic submissions were received from 58 different countries. It is our pleasure to announce that the overall winner of the Friend-Ship Photography Award is:
Debdatta Chakraborty
The photographer reported on ‘Sheroes Hangout cafe’ managed by acid attack victims in Agra, India. In his winning shot, Chakraborty portrays Dolly and Bala, who, within the safety of the cafe’, don’t have to hide their faces to form important friendships.
The second and third places were awarded to Ly Hoang Long from Vietnam for having captured the emotions of WW2 Veterans as they recalled history together on the 66th anniversary of the D-Day; and Anastasia Georga, Greece, representing friendship with a photo her naked friends to signify the importance of honesty in a relationship.
Speaking for the jury, Max Houghton, MA Photojournalism Lead, London College of Communication, stated:
‘It was heartening to see so many different interpretations of the theme of friendship, across generations and from all over the world. It’s obviously a subject that speaks to many people. Like all the most precious things in life, it’s hard to capture, in words or pictures, but the finalists of the Youmanity award have achieved it, showing a great deal of tenderness. I hope the winning image inspires people to cherish and nurture all their friendships; in so doing they even may be saving a life."
The winning photographs will be shocased at the House of Commons in December 2019 where Debdatta Chakraborty will be awarded £1K cash prize
The winning order of the 30 finalists is as follows:
Youmanity would applauds ALL participants for helping reclaim the importance and value of friendship!
