Revealing Revela: a very special photo competition

Last saturday, in Barcelona, the ceremony of the Awards of REVELA 2013 Photography Award for the Social Rights Holders took place among a large crowd on people gathered to learn the names of the winners of this very special award.

It is an unusual – and absolutely interesting – kind of photography Award, as the prize goes both to the photographer and to the photographied social group/NGO. And the award is pretty interesting: 50 thousand euros to be shared by the three winners (there is not a rank, all three win the Award by the amount of money is chosen according to the actual need of the organization and the potential impact on them).

This year I was member of the Jury  together with:

Ângela Ferreira, director/curator of the Portuguese PhotoFestival Encontros da Imagem
José Antonio Bastos, president of MSF Spain (Doctors without Borders)
Stephen Burgen, journalist
Javier Bauluz, director of Periodismohumano (Human Journalism) and Pulitzer Prize winner

I love this Award, because  the aim is to promote direct social aid, publicise the photographers and their portfolio and create dynamics of supportive social participation.

It’s a mix of important and dramatic social stories and positive ones that demonstrate the importance of those NGOs that work in the field on a daily basis and that actually bring about relief and social change.

Not only we awarded three prizes to the three winners, there was also the  GEA Photowords Award Ceremony and two Shoot4Change honorable mentions to two special stories that hit my interest.

Shoot4Change decided to mention the two stories (by Walter Estrada/Sandra Sotelo and by Jose Antonio de Lamadrid as  best positive local  story and best authorial interpretation of a social issue)

So, there we go. Here they are. You can click the links and learn more and in the following days we’ll feature them individually here.

These are stories worth be told.

Antonio Amendola

WINNERS

 The wide border
de Sergi Cámara
con Prodein
en Melilla, España

Xochiquetzal House: cheerful women
by Bénédicte Desrus
with “Mujeres, Xochiquetzal en lucha por su dignidad, A.C.”
Mexico DF, México

Sala Negra, Convivir con la violencia
en Centroamérica
by Edu Ponces
with CINDE
Soyapango. San Salvador. El Salvador.

GEA PHOTOWORDS AWARDS:

Three, Three, Three
by Jose Antonio de Lamadrid
with Autismo Sevilla
Sevilla, Spain, Europe

Sala Negra, Convivir con la violencia
en Centroamérica
by Edu Ponces
with CINDE
Soyapango. San Salvador. El Salvador.

 First special  SHOOT 4 CHANGE mention to the best positive local  story :

Three, Three, Three
by Jose Antonio de Lamadrid
with Autismo Sevilla
Sevilla, Spain, Europe

Honorable Mention SHOOT 4 CHANGE mention to the best  authorial social interpretation:

Trafficking in women for sexual exploitation-a new form of contemporary slavery-

by Walter Astrada y Sandra Sotelo
with Misión de Adoratrices
Catalonia, Europe