Deadline: 8 August 2025
The United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific invites publics to join the Photo Competition.
As a part of the 10th UCLG ASPAC Congress co-hosted by Goyang Special City, Republic of Korea, a Photo Competition will be held to:
- Promote the event,
- Provide visual representation of urban sustainability;
- Highlight local governance and community engagement;
- Promote cultural and regional diversity;
- Spark inspiration for future urban solutions.
Theme
- The main theme of the 10th UCLG ASPAC Congress is “Sustainable Global Self-sufficient Cities and Regions for the Future”. Therefore, the photo competition will also have five (5) categories with 1 (one) winner for every category following the sub-themes, namely:
- Job Creation
- Job creation is a critical component of building self-sufficient cities. A city’s self-sufficiency isn’t just about environmental sustainability—it also includes economic resilience. Sustainable cities need to offer opportunities for green jobs and employment in sectors like renewable energy, waste management, eco-tourism, and sustainable agriculture. This category seeks photos depicting the process of job creation (from grassroots level to the strategies of economic development), work opportunities, and innovative projects that contribute to job creation in sustainable urban environments.
- Youth Leadership
- Empowering youth leadership is essential for building sustainable cities and regions that are self-sufficient in the long term. Young people bring new perspectives, ideas, and innovations to urban challenges, which is crucial for the future of cities. This category seeks photos depicting the youth (directly or indirectly) involvement and activities that promote growth in whatever aspects it may be.
- Energy Self-sufficiency
- Energy self-sufficiency is a cornerstone of sustainable cities. Cities that are self-sufficient in energy are less reliant on external sources, reducing their vulnerability to energy crises and contributing to environmental sustainability through renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal power. This category seeks photos portraying the ability of cities and communities to be “self-reliant” and “self-sufficient” and/or activities the activities depicting that.
- Family-friendly Cities
- Family-friendly cities contribute to the overall sustainability and resilience of urban areas by ensuring that urban spaces are supportive of families. This includes affordable housing, accessible childcare, healthcare services, safe public spaces, and inclusive policies that support parents and children. This category could inspire participants to capture the family-oriented infrastructure and features that make a city more livable and sustainable for families.
- Urban Growth
- Urban growth needs to be managed sustainably to ensure that cities don’t become overburdened by population increases. Sustainable urban growth involves smart growth strategies, urban planning that prioritizes green spaces, sustainable infrastructure, and resilience to climate change. This category seeks photos capturing sustainable urban development in the face of growing populations.
- Job Creation
Funding Information
- Each category will have one winner.
- Each winner will receive 500 USD (Taxes included) and certificate.
Photos Criteria
- The applying participant declares and undertakes to verify that the submitted photo/s correspond to the stipulations of the Photo Competition rules and regulations, and meet the following criteria:
- All photographs submitted must be original works by the applying participant.
- No restriction of using any device for photography.
- If the submitted images include minors, or models/subjects incapable of explicitly consenting to being photographed, the applying participant may be required to provide a written consent of the subject’s parents/custodians to use the image, according to circumstances.
- The photo/s must be free of any binding agreement with a third party that might hold UCLG ASPAC liable for payment to any individual or entity in connection with the images’ copyright or their use.
- The submitted photo/s must not contain any symbol that represent any sensitive political issues.
- The photo/s should be in high quality (Min. 10 MB), to be submitted in JPG format.
Rules and Regulations
- The photo/s must be original, created, and/or taken by the participant.
- No restriction of using any device for photography
- The submitted photo/s must be free of any binding agreement with a third party that might hold UCLG ASPAC liable for payment to any individual or entity in connection with the images’ copyright or their use.
- If the submitted images include minors, or models/subjects incapable of explicitly consenting to being photographed, the applying participant may be required to provide a written consent of the subject’s parents/custodians to use the image, according to circumstances.
- The submitted photo/s must not contain any symbol that represent any sensitive political issues.
- The applying participants accept the stipulations of the Event rules and regulations wholly and absolutely.
- UCLG ASPAC reserves the right to review the suitability of the participants to the criteria and to rule in any dispute that may arise at any time on this issue.
Application Requirements
- Each participant (identified in by the email address and short bio provided) may submit a max of 3 (three) photos only.
- UCLG ASPAC staff members are restricted to participate in the competition
- Please provide the description of each photo (Max. 100 words/photo).
- Please enclose a Short Bio (Max. 450 words). This will not be provided to the Board of Jury.
- Photo description and participant bio must be in English.
For more information, visit UCLG ASPAC.