Brazilian student wins Tokyo photo contest on UN Global Goals
SDGs
A Brazilian university student has won the top prize of the United Nations-backed photo contest that puts the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the spotlight.
“The contest has encouraged students from all over the world to capture a moment that reflects their own ideas and views on SDGs,” said Kaoru Nemoto, Director of UN Information Centre in Tokyo at the opening of the award ceremony held Tuesday, the United Nations Day.
“In their photos, we find the power to communicate humanity's urgent issues to everybody,” Ms. Nemoto added.
The winning entry, from Luis Gustavo Cavalheiro Silva, a student at Universidade Estadual Paulista in São Paulo, Brazil, depicts a woman who earns her income to support her children by collecting recyclables.
“Thanks to the community's support, the woman can support her family and at the same time contributes to keeping the community environmentally sustainable. I saw in her work the valuable message that the SDGs are conveying, and I thereby wanted to share my feelings with others,” the contest winner states in his comment attached to the photo.
The SDGs Student Photo Contest, jointly held by UNIC Tokyo and Sophia University in Japan, drew more than 1,000 entries, up 60 per cent from last year, from 73 countries.
“I was surprised by quality photos submitted by the students,” stated Leslie Kee, a photographer who headed the judging panel. “We have selected photos to best reflect the young generation's enthusiasm to achieve the SDGs.”
Brazilian Luis Gustavo Cavalheiro Silva (centre), winner of the Grand Prize, poses for a commemorative photo with Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Kazuyuki Nakane (right) and Sophia University President Yoshiaki Terumichi. Photo: UNIC Tokyo/Takashi Okano
Other award winners include students from Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Japan, Peru, Russia, and Viet Nam.
Other judges were Akira Ono, Photo and Multimedia Editor, The Asahi Shimbun; Yuichi Kimura, Comedian, Yoshimoto Creative Agency Co., LTD.; Hiroaki Mizushima, Professor, Department of Journalism, Sophia University; and Mark Garten, Chief of the UN Photo Unit, Audio-Visual Services Section, UN Department of Public Information (DPI).