Canon UK have partnered with the Red Cross for the third year to run the British Red Cross Humanitarian Awards photography competition. The awards ceremony, held at the Palace of Westminster on 15th November, included an exhibition of shortlisted photographs on the theme ‘Making a difference matters’. The competition, open to anyone under the age of 26, invited young people to capture moments showing community or charitable work. Caitlyn Gallagher, 17, from Elgin in Scotland won the 17 and under category with her photo taken on her last day of volunteering at a school in Nepal (above). Azraa Muthy, 24 from Epsom in Surrey won the 17-25 category with a photo showing a Syrian refugee girl in Lebanon. Muthy was struck by the contrast between her own childhood photos, and the expressions and experiences of the children who had fled the conflict and face an uncertain future. The judges commented: “The child’s eyes drew us to this image. They really stand out against the surroundings. It’s an image you keep looking at and noticing new things like the mountains in the background. The composition is perfect.” The two winners each received a Canon EOS 700D plus a lens, to help them to continue to develop their passion for photography.

Canon Press Release

Young photographers focus on making a difference for Red Cross and Canon awards

Britain’s young photographers got their well-deserved moment in the spotlight at the 2016 British Red Cross Humanitarian Awards photography competition. Canon partnered with the British Red Cross for the third year to run the competition, with this year’s entries building on the outstanding range of talented nominees in 2015.

The ceremony, held at the Palace of Westminster on 15th November, included an exhibition of shortlisted photographs on the theme ‘Making a difference matters’. The competition, open to anyone under the age of 26, invited young people to capture moments showing community or charitable work.

Caitlyn Gallagher, 17, from Elgin in Scotland won the 17 and under category with her photo taken on her last day of volunteering at a school in Nepal. The judges commented on her image: “We loved the humour in this photo. Even though you can’t see the faces properly you can almost hear the laughter.”

Azraa Muthy, 24 from Epsom in Surrey won the 17-25 category with a photo showing a Syrian refugee girl in Lebanon. Muthy was struck by the contrast between her own childhood photos, and the expressions and experiences of the children who had fled the conflict and face an uncertain future. The judges commented: “The child’s eyes drew us to this image. They really stand out against the surroundings. It’s an image you keep looking at and noticing new things like the mountains in the background. The composition is perfect.”

The two winners each received a Canon EOS 700D plus a lens, to help them to continue to develop their passion for photography.

Bob Pickles, Head of Corporate and Government Affairs at Canon UK said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting the Humanitarian Awards photography competition for the third year. Our judges had a challenging job deciding the winners this year with such an inspiring range of images submitted. We want to congratulate all those shortlisted and hope they continue their journey to tell stories through images with the passion we saw in these entries.”

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