Winners of the 2022 Photo competition: “We sow the future” – CIDSE

Winners of the 2022 Photo competition: “We sow the future”

The winners of the international photo competition “We sow the future”, launched last April as part of the CIDSE initiative Change for the planet – Care for the people”, have been selected. 

Launched on the eve of Earth Day, the photo contest invited professional and non-professional young photographers to submit photographs that were able to capture sustainable actions they would like to see become the “new normal” in the near future. The photo contest was a true success, as its main aim was to amplify the voices and concrete actions of people who protect “our Common Home”. Valuable alternatives to the exploitation of nature may be very close to us already, which is something the fifteen finalists clearly showed us. 

Compared to the previous contest “Inspire change through your lens”, the current one has two big pieces of news:

  1. A focus on young people, as photographers could not be older than 35. One of the main reasons for this was to give youth an opportunity to have access to spaces that are traditionally occupied by more experienced (and older) people. Reflecting the current path of the “Change for the Planet – Care for the people” activities, this photo contest aimed at giving visibility and amplifying stories coming from the youngest generations.
  2. Another added value of this year’s contest is the importance of the story supporting the photo, defined by the jury as storytelling power.   

All of the fifteen shortlisted photos will be printed, framed and displayed for two months in Brussels. The visitors will be able to interact and to empathise with the photos and their protagonists. The fact that each photo tells a different story and gives hope is likely to resonate with a wide audience.  

“When I saw the fifteen shortlisted photos for the first time I was amazed by their story and their potential for hope. I think I spent at least five minutes observing each photo and reading their story, feeling like I was right next to the photographer while they were taking the picture. This is the magical power of photography and these youth were able to prove their great talent. I am sure that all the finalists will be able to cultivate their passion. This experience will surely help some of them to succeed in their future projects.  

[Giorgio, organizer].

Selected from entries coming from more than 30 countries, the first prize winners of the international photo contest are

Non-professional category:
Vera Vaz Pinto Rebocho Pina (Portugal), with a photo reflecting on today’s detachment between people and nature, pushed by the expansion of urban life.  


Professional category:
Sudip Maiti (India), with a photo portraying an Indian citizen’s resilience in the face of invasive industrial agriculture systems.


The two first winners will be invited at an award ceremony which will take place in Brussels at the end of September. The event will also mark the opening of an exhibition featuring the fifteen shortlisted photos.  

The second and third prizes per category are
Non-professional category: 

Analisa Ramsahai (Trinidad y Tobago) 
Francesca Palmi (Italy) 


Professional category: 

Jophel Botero Ybiosa (The Philippines) 
Kubuya Aristarque (RDC)

The audience award (based on the likes received on Instagram) goes to … Kubuya Aristarque (RDC).

The under-18 prize goes to :

Manuel Osácar (Spain)


The winning photos were chosen by a high-level panel jury, consisting of: Lieve Herijgers (Director of Broederlijk Delen and President of CIDSE); Chiara Martinelli (Director of Climate Action Network Europe), Patricia Pedrosa (Professional movie-maker), Arthur Roessle (Professional photographer, finalist of the 2017 CIDSE photo competition) and Adelaïde Charlier (Student and Climate activist). The jury evaluated the photos based on a set of five criteria, which included the coherence of the shot, the story told and the composition of the images.  

Flick through our digital photo album!  

DIGITAL Future PhotoBook by CIDSE

More info about the contest and its original call for submissions can be found at: https://www.cidse.org/2022/04/21/photocompetition/  

For more information or interviews, please contact Giorgio Gotra (gotra@cidse.org)  


Cover photo: Man working on his rooftop garden in Kolkata, India by Sudip Maiti, Winner of the CIDSE 2022 photo competition (professional category). © CIDSE.

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