European Environment Agency WaterPIX Photo Competition 2018

What comes to your mind when you think of water: summer holidays by the sea or fishing on a river? Or a stroll in the rain, feeling thirsty on a hot day, flood-damaged buildings, or spring cleaning at home? To highlight the importance of water in our daily lives, the European Environment Agency is organising the WaterPIX Photography Competition.

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 WaterPIX focuses on the importance of clean water for all living things on our planet.

Categories

Participants can submit photographs depicting any of the following three categories:

• Water and us: Clean water is vital for our lives. We drink it, bathe in it, cook with it. For some of us, water brings images of a cooling sea breeze in a summer evening, a sailing or fishing vacation. For others, water can also be a force of harm, impacting our health and homes. Floods can damage property and cause loss of life. Water shortages and droughts can severely impair cities and economic activities. What does water mean to you?
• Water and nature: Oceans and rivers are home to a rich variety of animal and plant life, providing not only for those living in water but all species depending on those water bodies, including people. Oceans also play a key role in ensuring a stable climate by providing less visible benefits. Can you capture the visible and the invisible benefits that water provides? Are water bodies in Europe in a healthy state? What are the threats?
• Water and the economy: Water is essential for many of our economic activities. We use it not only to produce food and electricity, but also to manufacture everyday products ranging from computers to clothes. Rivers and seas have also been major trade routes, connecting countries and cultures. Water can also transport pollution — be it in form of hazardous chemicals or plastic particles — even to most remote parts of our planet. Can you capture the visible and the invisible role of water in economic activities around you? How does the economy impact water bodies?

Prizes

• The winners in each category 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 1994-2000) 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.

WaterPIX Photo Competition Eligibility

• Open to citizens of the EEA member countries and West Balkan cooperating countries. The EEA currently has 33 member countries and six cooperating countries. The 33 member countries include the 28 European Union Member States together with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey;
• All participants must be 18 or older;
• The photos must be taken in the countries mentioned above.

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 15 September to 15 October 2018.

How to Enter

• Take or create an original photo (long side >2000px) supported by a short text and following the guidelines in the Competition rules.
• Submit your entry through the online submission form.

For more information, visit WaterPIX Photo Competition.