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The UNESCO-EU Transcultura programme launches its photography contest #Shooting_green

The Transcultura Environmental and Landscape Photography Contest is the second in a series of thematic calls under the Transcultura Awards. This particular initiative seeks to recognize and celebrate the creative talent of young photography professionals in the Caribbean. With a focus on fostering creative connections beyond the Caribbean, the Transcultura Awards recognizes and promotes the talent of the region’s young cultural professionals, highlighting their potential to drive innovation in the region’s Cultural and Creative Industries.
- Theme of the Competition: #Shooting_green
This call invites you to submit a collection of five (5) to ten (10) photographs that represents the natural diversity and richness of the Caribbean region, its environmental and climatic challenges, as well as the relationships between the different elements of the Caribbean. Submitted works should creatively and originally capture elements of flora and fauna (terrestrial or marine) representative of one or more of the countries mentioned below or landscapes that compellingly depict the relationships between these elements.
- Who can apply?
The contest is open to all photographers aged 18 to 35 who are citizens and permanent residents of any of the seventeen Caribbean countries within the geographical scope of the Transcultura programme: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Photographers who have launched their own entrepreneurship in the photography sector are particularly encouraged to apply, with an emphasis on projects led by women as well as initiatives whose creative process has favourable social, cultural and/or economic impacts, whether at the community, regional, national or photography industry level.
As part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), which aims to advance Sustainable Development Goal 14 for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, submissions that capture the underwater biodiversity of the Caribbean are especially encouraged.
- Benefits for winners
Winners will be invited to participate in the workshop 'A Visual Journey: Creative Experiences for Tourism Photography' as part of the third edition of the , held in Isla de la Juventud, Cuba, from 6 to 12 April 2025. The event will feature a variety of activities in film and visual arts, as well as valuable networking opportunities.
In addition, the winners’ works will be produced, with all production and mounting costs covered by the UNESCO Transcultura programme. The works will be exhibited in a photography exhibition in Havana, Cuba.
About the Isla Verde Festival
Founded in Isla de la Juventud, Cuba, in 2022 by the renowned Cuban actor and director Jorge PerugorrÃa, the is a creative space for promoting collective environmental initiatives in the region. It aspires to turn Isla de la Juventud, a municipality located 50 km south of Havana, into a leader in transformation based on sustainable local development and as a destination for cultural and environmental tourism in the Caribbean. Its activities include a film competition and a programme of conferences and workshops, taught by prestigious professionals, focusing on topics of interest to Isla Verde, such as sustainable tourism, sustainable business models and new creative economies.
About UNESCO Transcultura
Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, implemented by UNESCO and funded by the European Union, harnesses the rich cultural diversity of the Caribbean to turn it into a driver for sustainable development through exchange and cooperation in the region and with the European Union. It is based on capacity-building and the creation of opportunities, through training, support to entrepreneurship, cultural exchange and the promotion of sustainable tourism for young Caribbean culture professionals. For more information, visit: /en/transcultura