HUMANITARIAN BENEFIT
Since the early times of photography – in the days of Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Steichen, Jacob Riis, Ernest J. Bellocq, and many others – the media has been a witness to life in moments of joy and drama.
WPGA believes that its competitions cannot avoid recognizing photography’s history. As such, WPGA strongly feels it has a social responsibility to the most needy throughout world. To help in fulfilling its social responsibility, WPGA has chosen the nongovernmental organization Save the Children as beneficiary of ten percent of the proceeds from the contest revenues.
Photography has provided a window to the otherwise invisible events outside the reach of the “civilized” world. Photography has exposed the crude realities and tragedies of the most needy and malnutrition, their unsafe living conditions, lack of educational opportunities, and much more. The Humanitarian Documentary Grant award acknowledges the significant contribution of photography to humanitarian efforts and highlights WPGA’s philanthropic mission.
In addition to the proceeds from the competition, forty percent from the sale of art during the Inaugural Exhibition of the WPGA 2009 Annual Juried Competition held in Madrid, will also be donated to Save the Children.
Using Smarter Entry™ to process the entries (uploading of images, juroring, and entry fee management) assures a transparent donation procedure. Sales during the Inaugural Exhibition will be supervised by Save the Children.
Founded in 1919 in the aftermath of World War I, the Save the Children Fund was established in England, by activist Eglantyne Jebb, initially providing aid to young survivors in war-ravaged Vienna. Today, Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need around the world. It is an Alliance that comprises 27 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 120 countries to ensure the well-being of children.