Thomson Reuters Foundation ‘COVID-19: The Bigger Picture’ Competition 2020

Deadline: October 28, 2020

Could your picture tell a thousand words? Then the camera is in your hands. Apply for the Thomson Reuters Foundation ‘COVID-19: The Bigger Picture’ Competition 2020. The photo competition is open to anyone with a passion for turning the lens on the real lives behind the headlines, and an ability to capture the most powerful images of the pandemic’s impact on everyday people.

You don’t have to be a photographer or a journalist to apply; they’re calling for all visual storytellers to capture the untold consequences of COVID-19 on people’s lives and livelihoods.

Prizes

• Winners of the Award will receive photojournalism masterclasses delivered by the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s world-leading trainers.
• Participants will hone their existing story-telling skills as well as build on them through tailored workshops and mentoring.
• They will also each be offered the opportunity to work alongside the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s news team on a story that will be shared via the Foundation’s global distribution network.

Eligibility

• Open to all people with an interest in photography, may the extent of their interest be professional, amateur, journalistic, a hobby, opportunistic or even accidental. All entries should focus on the theme of the human impact of COVID-19.
• Applicants should be at least 18 years of age on the last date for entry. Proof of age may be required.
• Photographs submitted may be published or unpublished. All Photographs must be original (meaning not using third party copyright materials) but can be pre-existing or created especially for this Award.
• Entrants must be available to attend the online masterclass, which will be taught in English. This is provisionally scheduled for January 2021, but reasonable notice of the final dates will be provided to the winning Entrants.
• Members of staff working at the same organisation as any of the competition judges or at the Omidyar Network, the Omidyar Group, the Thomson Reuters Foundation or Thomson Reuters, as well as the immediate family and household members of such individuals, are not eligible to enter or win.
• “Immediate family members” shall mean parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, or spouses, regardless of where they live. “Household members” shall mean people who share the same residence at least three months a year, whether related or not.
• Entries submitted by freelancers who work with the Omidyar Network, the Omidyar Group, the Thomson Reuters Foundation or Thomson Reuters are eligible.

Evaluation Criteria

The Winners will be selected by the panel of judges from among the Finalists on the basis of the following criteria, each of which will be given equal weight:

• Coherence and relevance to the issues: raising awareness of the human impact of COVID-19 anywhere in the world and helping to document its grave and far-reaching repercussions on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.
• Depth and quality of the photography, including:
  • Impartiality: adherence to the Reuters standards of journalism.
  • Relatability: potential to impact a mass audience.
  • Accuracy: actual, balanced photography.
• Originality and creativity: originality of subject and angle. The entry makes a creative use of the medium of photography.

Application

The Photograph must be accompanied by:

• A description of the Photograph giving context and background;
• Biographical information about the Entrant (name, location, and confirmation of the fact that they are 18 or above); and
• A clear headshot of the Entrant.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit Thomson Reuters Foundation.