From climate change protests to democratic uprisings against biased and violent authorities, it is clear that 2019 has been a pivotal year for citizens all over the world. It's in this context that free-to-use mobile app Agora launched its first #Photojournalism photo contest to give photographers a way to shed light on specific social issues. The competition gathered more than 12,321 submissions from amateur and professional photographers all over the world.
'Young guns,' a powerful image of a group of Filipino children playing with dumpsite toy guns collected the most votes in the app, awarding its author @renebernal with a $1,000 cash prize.
Agora's CEO and Co-Founder said: "People who manage to be in the right place at the right time can become potential journalists for all Humanity. Through #Photojournalism2020, we aim to discover the best informative street photography images by people worldwide. Everyone owns a camera and can create interesting content. Everyone has a screen in their hands, where they can see content and vote for what they like the most. At Agora, we feel that the time has come for people all across the globe to become the main protagonists: the result is the very best expression of humankind, in different themes, shapes, and formats. We believe that every point of view is important and that our mission is to generate a platform where users can create and vote for the best photos of Humanity."
The #Photojournalism2020 photography contest was launched on Friday 22nd, November 2019. The Top 50 finalists of the #Photojournalism2020 competition got revealed through the app on December 31st. Thereafter, the power was in the Agora users' hands to cast their votes and decide which photo struck them the most, and therefore should win the #Photojournalism2020 contest.
Discover the winning photography awards image and runners-up below, and don't forget to upvote your favorites!
More info: agoraimages.com
#21 Women's Protest | Legal Abortion
@franciscopaez (Argentina)
Location: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
"I wanted to show the strength and power that women gather when they get together. I think that legal abortion in Argentina is one of the biggest claims in Latino America."
24points
#22 Revolting Tears
by @notsotoya (Lebanon)
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
"What's happening now in Lebanon is necessary to document since our TV stations are biased and do not portray the reality of the people in the streets. This is why I took personal initiative to always be on the streets photo-documenting to portray the closest image to reality. Warlords are now controlling the fate of Lebanese citizens. From 29 years till now the country has been economically deteriorating under the absence of the Lebanese government. The woman in the picture is the embodiment of our economy and her tears shed as she witnessed the revolt that the people took to the streets in hope of a better country."
23points
#23 Sacrifice
@leowillgo (Venezuela)
Location: Caracas, Venezuela
"In this shot, you can see Willy, a demonstrator who got shot in the face with rubber bullets by the national guard. Willy was playing the violin when he was shot. Like Robert Capa once said, if your photo isn’t good enough it's because you are not getting close enough; in this photo, I managed to capture the stressful moment of a person still in shock by the situation that just happened."
21points
#24 Refugees In Barcelona
@ray_photographer (Spain)
Location: Barcelona, Spain
20points
#25 Devotees Return Home
@sakter (Bangladesh)
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
"Took this shot at Dhaka's airport railway station during Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslim community after Hajj. Every compartment of the train along with the engine was overloaded!"
16points
#26 Neighborhood Protest Against Mining Waste In Land Near Their Houses
@kopernic (Spain)
Location: Llano del Beal, Spain
"The people in the photo are environmentalists and families that live nearby the mining heap lands. I wanted to express the pain of these people through a staged photo. The population where they live is surrounded by mining sediments, resulting in high blood lead levels."
15points
#27 Gilets Jaunes Protest
@inthpeck (France)
Location: Tours, France
14points
#28 Fire @ Kolkata
@debchak (India)
Location: Bagree market, Kolkata, India
"Firefighters trying to douse the fire at the Bagree Market by risking their lives and rescuing people. The market is located in the congested area of the city."
12points
#29 Clean
@swetun (Myanmar)
Location: Pyinoolwin balloon festival, Myanmar
11points
#30 Kerbelâ1
@bekiryesiltas (Turkey)
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
"During the month of Muharram, elaborate public processions are performed in commemoration of the Battle of Karbala. Thousands of people participate in these commemorations in different provinces and the suffering of the people is as fresh as the first day."
10points
