Sustainably Yours photo competition
Many of goods and services contributing to our quality of life and well-being exert pressure on the environment and global climate. The way we consume and produce (and discard) these goods and services releases pollutants, damages natural habitats and contributes to climate change – all which in turn harm our health and life on Earth. In fact, supported by over-arching European Union policies, many authorities and organisations across Europe are already taking action to reduce negative impacts. To highlight the importance of living sustainably, the European Environment Agency is organising the photography competition Sustainably Yours.
Every year, the EEA organises a photo competition to raise awareness about an environmental issue and allow Europeans to share their takes on that issue. This year’s competition Sustainably Yours focuses on the importance of living sustainably.
Sustainably Yours aims to highlight challenges and opportunities linked to three of the main key systems: food, energy and mobility.
Participants can submit photographs depicting any of the following three categories:
1. Suistainable food
Along with clean air and drinking water, access to nutritious food at affordable prices is a key factor determining our health and well-being. But a significant share of our environmental impacts comes from what we eat. To produce our food, we use key resources such as land and water, complemented by fertilisers and pesticides to increase yields. We catch more fish than the seas can replenish.
Before reaching our plates, our food often gets processed, packaged and transported – all of which also use resources like energy and water. We also waste food at each step through this journey, including at home. From grazing cattle, chicken farms, endless corn fields, organic tomatoes and slaughterhouses to supermarkets, all are part of the food system. Is eating organic food or less meat the key to sustainable food? Can you capture how the food system impacts the environment? Can you share inspiring initiatives or solutions to reduce its impacts?
2. Sustainable energy
Energy is essential for many of our economic activities. We use it to heat or cool our homes, wash our laundry, cook and produce food and to manufacture products ranging from computers to clothes. Cars, planes, trains, electronic devices including mobile phones all need energy. Today our energy need is largely met by fossil fuels, including oil and coal, which have substantial impacts on the environment and global climate.
In fact, from solar to wind, renewable clean energies have increasingly been put to use in everyday activities. New homes and appliances come with energy saving features. What are the ‘road blocks’ ahead? Can you capture the clean energy sources around you?
3. Sustainable mobility
Moving around is essential part of our lives. We go to work, to school, to visit family and friends, or we go on holidays to discover new places. Just like us, many of the goods we use and consume get transported from far and near. The mobility system today connects people and cultures through a web of flight and shipping routes, rails tracks, roads and even cycling paths. Our assessments show that the transport sector contributes to climate change and environmental degradation, including poor air quality and noise. And the demand for transport is expected to increase, resulting in more flights, more emissions, more cars on the road, more time spent in traffic jams... From planning more compact cities to efficient engines and clean fuels, can you capture the challenges and opportunities towards sustainable mobility? Can you walk or cycle instead of driving? Is electric-car sharing or using public transport a better alternative to owning a car?
Additional information on the topics covered by Sustainably Yours can be found on the following EEA thematic pages and publications:
Sustainability transitions
Transport; EEA Signals Towards clean and smart mobility
Energy; EEA Signals Shaping the future of energy in Europe
Climate change adaptation
Environment and health
Resource efficiency and waste
Food in a green light
How to enter the competition?
Take or create an original photo (long side at least 2000px, preferably more than 4960px) supported by a short text and following the guidelines in the Competition rules. Then submit your entry through the online submission form.
Submission deadline: 15 May 2019 at 23:59 (CEST). Entry is free of charge.
SUBMISSION FORM
The competition is open to citizens of the EEA member countries and West Balkan cooperating countries. All participants must be 18 or older. The photos must be taken in the countries mentioned above.
You must have full copyrights to the submitted material. By submitting an entry, you will be presumed to have agreed to accept the Competition rules and the Terms and Conditions. One entrant may submit maximum 5 entries in total in the competition. As each entry will be handled separately, you need to fill out the online submission form for each entry if you chose to submit more than one entry.
Due to the perceived high volume of last-minute entries, we advise you to submit your entry well in advance of the submission deadline.
If you have questions about the competition, please send us an email.
Competition details
Prizes
The winners in each category (Sustainable food, Sustainable energy and Sustainable mobility) will be awarded a cash prize of EUR 1000, while EUR 500 is on offer for both the Public Choice Award and the Youth Prize. The Youth Prize will be awarded to the winning entry, selected among those submitted by persons aged between 18 and 24 (born between calendar years 1995-2001) to any of the competition categories.All finalists will be put forward for the Public Choice Award and may also feature in future digital and print material from the EEA and its European partners. The copyright of the materials submitted for this competition remains with the respective participants. However, each entrant grants the EEA and its partners the right to use the submitted materials in its environmental communication crediting the copyright owners.
Selection process
The EEA will appoint a pre-selection committee consisting of communication and environment experts that will select 30-50 finalists. These will then be submitted to an external jury to be composed of environmental communication experts from across Europe will determine the winners, with the exception of the Public Choice Award.
For the Public Choice Award, the finalist entries put forward by the pre-selection committee will be open for a public vote from 5 to 15 June 2019.
The winners will be notified by email and the official announcement of the winners will follow on 19 June 2019.
Timetable
| Submissions open | 25 February 2019 |
| Submissions close | 15 May 2019 |
| Public vote opens | 5 June 2019 |
| Public vote closes | 15 June 2019 |
| Winners announced | 19 June 2019 |