Deadline: July 20, 2025
Applications are open for the UNESCO Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads Photo Contest 2025. The annual “Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads” International Photo Contest offers an exciting opportunity for young people from all over the world to capture their understanding of the shared heritage of the Silk Roads through the lens of their camera.
As the visual arts, and in particular photography, are so often used by today’s youth as a powerful tool for communication and self-expression, images have the potential to play a significant role in raising awareness of the key issues facing our contemporary world and help promote peace and understanding. The photo contest provides an opportunity for young people to connect with one another in a digital space and share their creativity and vision for our future.
The Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads Photo Contest is an opportunity for young people who live or have travelled within these regions to share their perceptions and further their understanding of the common cultural heritage and pluralistic identities emerging from the interactions and exchanges taking place along the Silk Roads. The contest encourages the use of photography to extend these cultural interactions and encounters in the contemporary world, to foster mutual understanding and promote peace amongst the diverse populations encompassed by the Silk Roads.
Categories
- The contest is divided into two age categories: 14–17 year olds and 18–25 year olds. For the 7th edition of the contest this year participants are invited to submit their photographs that best encapsulate the shared heritage of the Silk Roads the theme of “Women, Guardians of Silk Roads Heritage”.
Prizes
- First place winners will receive a professional camera.
- Second place winners will receive a semi-professional camera.
- The prize for third place will be a standard-model digital camera.
Eligibility
- Open to everyone between 14 and 25 years old, regardless of his or her country of residence, except employees of UNESCO and the donor, China World Peace Foundation, and their family members (parents, children, siblings and spouses).
- Entrants must have access to the Internet.
Selection Criteria
Photographs will be selected on their originality, creativity, photographic quality and relevance to the themes of the 2025 “Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads” Photo Contest. The choice will be made according to the discretion of the Selection Committee. No appeals will be considered.
Application
Upload a maximum of 20 photographs:
- Include a caption for each photograph or series of photographs, in digital format (JPEG or JPG)
- The quality of the photographs must be at least 1,500 pixels wide for horizontal images and 1,500 pixels tall for vertical images.
For more information, visit UNESCO Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads Photo Contest.
