Skills in Action Photo Competition 2023

Are you an amateur or professional photographer with an interest in youth skills? Don’t miss your chance to enter the UNESCO-UNEVOC Skills in Action Photo Competition!

Am I eligible to participate?

You are eligible to participate as long as:

• you are at least 18 years old
• you are the owner or copyright holder of the photo entry/entries

What should my photo show?

Photos should show the innovative aspects of technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

We want you to capture interesting moments showcasing how TVET is equipping young people between the ages of 15-29 with skills for the future. This year’s theme is Skilling youth for the future and submissions should focus on one or all of the following:

* TVET for a sustainable future – photos highlighting green jobs and skills

* Skills for a digitalized world – photos highlighting the digitalization of training and work

* Inclusive TVET – photos highlighting the importance of ensuring equal access to quality TVET, regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality or disability.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

• Decide on your thematic area(s) of focus. This will ensure that your entry avoids being filtered out for not adhering to the theme.
• Use a camera that can output high-resolution photos with a minimum of 3000 pixels on the longest side with 300 DPI/PPI setting. Exempted from this are photos taken using mobile phones in the highest resolution (acceptance of this type of entry is based on the quality of the submission).
• Ensure that you have the consent of the people in the picture, especially if the focus is on a single person.
• You can make simple edits to the photo but these need to be specified in the submission form.

Don’ts

• Don’t submit an entry of a photo collage (multiple photos on one frame).
• Don’t put watermarks, signature or any overlays on your picture.
• Don’t send pictures that are not related to any of the thematic areas.

When is the submission deadline?

The submission deadline is 31 August 2023.

What can I win?

The winners of the Skills in Action Photo Competition 2023 will receive the following prizes:

1st prize – 750 USD

2nd prize – 500 USD

3rd prize – 350 USD

Winning photographers and finalists will receive a certificate, and their entries will be featured on UNESCO’s website and across various social media channels. All submissions received will become the property of UNESCO and will be eligible for use in future UNESCO media campaigns, publications and promotional material.

What is the submission process?

Photo entries

• All entries should be submitted with a title, a brief paragraph (not more than 75 words) explaining the context of the photo, along with where and when it was taken.
• All photos submitted should be in jpeg format. You are encouraged to submit Raw/Tiff files when possible. The longer side should be at least 3,000 pixels. Photographers are allowed to digitally manipulate entries slightly and state the nature of manipulation. Please do not include any marks, logos, watermarks or borders in your photos.
• Your photos should be related to the theme mentioned above.

How to submit

After taking your photo(s):

1. Add a title and write a short description for every photo.

2. Rename the photo(s) in this format: Lastname_Firstname_title.jpeg (for example: Smith_John_Digital-Futures.jpeg/.tiff)

3. Download and complete the submission form and rename the form in this format: Lastname_Firstname_SAPC23.docx

4. Make sure you agree with the Terms and Conditions listed in the submission form.

5. Send the completed form and the original photo files to unevoc.skills(at)unesco.org, with the following email subject heading: Lastname_Firstname_SAPC23. Note that the attachment size may have a limit. In case of multiple entries that cannot be sent via email, you can use any cloud storage servers you prefer and provide us with the direct link (no sign-up or password required) to download. WeTransfer

 is an example of an online file sharing service.

Submission Form

How are the winning photos selected?

Upon submission, UNESCO-UNEVOC will filter entries in compliance with the basic terms and conditions. You will not receive an acknowledgement of submission, but all entries will be processed.

The selection process will be based on the following criteria:

• Adherence to the theme
• Uniqueness of the concept/shot
• Creativity
• Innovative means of delivering the message

Photographers will be informed via email if they are a finalist in the competition. Please note that all submitted photos will become accessible under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 IGO (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 IGO) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).

UNESCO employees and their immediate family members may contribute photos to the competition but they are not eligible to win.