Celebrating InterAction’s 16th Annual Photo Contest Winners

A smiling young girl, lifts her scarf overhead on a clear, sunny day. In the background, a young bow stands underneath a tree covered in debris.
Photo By: Arez Ghaderi is licensed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license

Celebrating InterAction’s 16th Annual Photo Contest Winners

InterAction is pleased to announce the winners of our 16th Annual Effective Assistance Photography Contest.

Each year, InterAction’s photography contest focuses on incredible humanitarian and development work. These images capture powerful stories of hope, independence, and future possibilities, and this year was no exception. For each of our three categories—best photo taken on a mobile phone, best photo of youth potential, and best photo of women’s empowerment—the submissions we received expertly illustrated innovative, effective, and inspiring efforts in development and international relief.

This year, we received over 750 entries from individuals all over the world. After narrowing the submissions down, five professional photographers from the DC area were tasked with selecting each of the Three Categories winners and our Grand Prize winner. The winning photos can be viewed below.

Thank you to all our participants for submitting your incredible photos this year.

Best Photo Taken on a Mobile Phone: “Equal at Per”

A young women working at petrol station washes the front window of a car using a long brush.
The women-controlled fuel-station is a step ahead of the paradigm of women empowerment. In the regime of gender bias and inequality, it provides a farm-foothold for the youth and bigger dreams. Photo By: Amitava Chandra (CC BY-NC)

 Runner-up: “Journey to School”

Young girl walks across a river on a bed a grass, holding an umbrella to protect her from the rains of a monsoon, on her way to school.
The photo was taken in remote Eastern India. At the time monsoon there was no road to school. This girl was taking stretch between two firming land to go school. Photo By: Anindya Phani (CC BY-NC)

Best Photo of Youth Potential: “Shidda”

A young smiling west african girl, with a baby strapped to her back, prepares a meal in a large bowl with a wooden masher.
A girl prepares the meal for her sick siblings in the community kitchen of the Center for disabled children Don Orione de Bombouaka (Togo, West Africa). Photo By: Anotonio Aragon Renuncio (CC BY-NC)

 

1st Runner-up: “Chasing Dreams” 

Young children run in excitement toward the camera.
These beautiful children were full of so much energy. This specific area of eastern Ethiopia is full of incredible children that may or may not have both of their parents. However, Food for the Hungry is building a new school and water wells so that there is hope for the children’s future and health. Therefore, they are “Chasing Dreams”. Dreams to be what they hope to be. Photo By: Daniel C. White (CC BY-NC)

2nd Runner-up: “Friends”

Two young girls smiling as they play hide and seek. One girl peeks out behind a door to surprise her friend.
Two friends play a joyful game of hide and seek. Photo By: Suvro Paul (CC BY-NC)

Best Photo of Women’s Empowerment: “Where Sky is Limit”

Five smiling young women, led by another, run in a line through wet land against a early morning sky
Children and nature are two interrelated terms which when survive together, produces a marvel. As the concept of development is engulfing our brain, we slowly losing the fine touch of nature and thus endangering our race towards extinction. Unlike this hard reality, the picture strikes our mind with magic of visual relief where children,especially women folk finds themselves in such vast lap of nature where sky merges with water in a beautiful afternoon of autumn. The beauty of nature beholds with a vision, that this girl children are born free and can reach the sky with their ambition even after their existence on the material world. Photo By: Biswajit Patra (CC BY-NC)

1st Runner-up: “Yet Another Day” 

While taking care of her child, a mother combs her hair in a kitchen to utilise the time in her busy day's schedule.
While taking care of her child, a mother combs her hair in a kitchen to utilize the time in her busy day’s schedule. Photo By: Sujit Saha (CC BY-NC).

2nd Runner-up: “Women at Work”

3 women work in a hay field, pushing the grains back and forth with pushbrooms
Woman are working in a sequence in a Paddy processing field near Bangladesh Border of west bengal where manual drying process are going on. Each and every day they use to earn $ 2 – 3 by this activity. Photo By: Avishek Das (CC BY-NC)

Grand Prize winner: “Blue”

A smiling young girl, lifts her scarf overhead on a clear, sunny day. In the background, a young bow stands underneath a tree covered in debris.
These people live in the city margin of Bandar Khamir. They are in a very difficult situation and are destitute. Despite the difficulties, they are hopeful and always try to do the best for their own lives. Photo By: Arez Ghaderi (CC BY-NC)