News

Extended deadline till 20 December 2017

Our world is in transformation. Increasingly, changes in remote regions of the world are affecting daily life in Germany and Europe. Consciously or unconsciously, we feel it every day. People are on the move. Some are arriving at new places, while others are leaving a familiar environment. What connects them all is that in the course of their ‘departures and arrivals’, they often benefit from civic engagement or help others themselves. This commitment is the foundation for meeting the challenges posed by global transformation and, at the same time, seizing the associated opportunities that will allow future generations to live together in harmony.

With this in mind, we invite you to participate in a joint photography project launched by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Bundesnetzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement (National Network for Civil Society, BBE).

What is it about?

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Bundesnetzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement (National Network for Civil Society, BBE) are launching a joint photography project with the theme ‘Of departures and arrivals’. The photographic works should focus on the loss of the familiar and the discovery of a new social environment. The photos ought to tell the stories of people who work in their communities at home and abroad in various areas, or who themselves benefit from civic engagement. The project should reflect the perspectives of those involved in civic engagement and those helped by it, and document the impact that this has on them. How do people benefit from civic engagement initiatives that assist them in settling into in a new environment or help them with ‘departing’? How do those who are committed to helping others see their work, which in many cases has also caused them to leave a familiar environment? In what ways can civic engagement in this context contribute to implementing the 2030 Agenda, which all UN Member States committed to in 2015? The possibilities are many and varied, and we invite you to tell us about your own experiences or those from your community through photos.

Who can participate?

Anyone interested, with or without professional photography skills. The project is aimed at anyone who would like to present their own perspective on the topic through photos, or document the experiences of individuals or groups through the eyes of an outside observer. The photo series must be produced by the participants themselves.

How can I participate?

Send your photo series with approx. 20 photos by email via https://filetransfer.giz.de/ to fotoprojekt2017@giz.de or by post on a CD to GIZ’s Berlin Representation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Marius Weist, Reichpietschufer 20, 10785 Berlin). Please also send the following documents:

• text to accompany the photo series (approx. 1,700 characters including spaces)
• brief CV with a bio (approx. 750 characters including spaces) and a portrait photo
• contact address (including email address and phone number)
• signed declaration that GIZ and BBE have an irrevocable, limited simple right of use for the submitted photos
• signed declaration of consent for data use

The declaration forms and more detailed information on the documents to be submitted are available online at www.vomweggehenundankommen.de/home-en/. Please contact Marius Weist (fotoprojekt2017@giz.de) of GIZ’s Berlin Representation if you have any questions.

Who will select the winning photo series?

A prominent five-member jury will select ten photo series by the end of December 2017. Between seven and ten photos from each series will be presented to the public at a vernissage on 26 April 2018 at the GIZ Representation in Berlin, to which the selected photographers will be invited. The vernissage will mark the start of a one-year exhibition at GIZ’s Berlin Representation. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue presenting the selected photos from the winning photo series. The photos will also be displayed at the BBE’s ‘14. Woche des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements’ (14th week of civic engagement) in late 2018.

The members of the jury for the ‘Of departures and arrivals’ photography project are:

• Thomas Silberhorn, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
• Kordula Schulz-Asche, Member of the Bundestag, member of the Bundestag’s ‘Bürgerschaftliches Engagement’ (civic engagement) subcommittee
• Neven Subotic, Footballer (Borussia Dortmund) and founder of the Neven Subotic Foundation
• Dr Thomas Röbke, Chairman of the BBE Board of Spokespersons
• Cornelia Richter, Member of the GIZ Management Board

What are the technical requirements?

The photos should be submitted in JPG file format. The quality of most standard cameras and smartphones is sufficient for participation in the photography project. It is important to use the highest quality setting on the camera (maximum resolution, lowest level of compression). For artistic questions, you can contact Maurice Weiss of OSTKREUZ Agentur der Fotografen (m.weiss@ostkreuz.de).