Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) is inviting entries for the 2006/7 Commonwealth Photographic Awards. This year award theme is “achievement”, it is an open competition for all Commonwealth residents.

Information despatched to Arts and Culture, from Jane Rangeley, Training Director of the Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) stated that, the photographs will be judged on the interpretation of the theme as well as their technical quality.
The awards must offer a view of how people in the Commonwealth with its mixture of races, creeds, culture and ways of life, see themselves and others. Mrs Rangeley revealed that, this year, there are new categories, such as the Canberra Times/CPU Young Photographers Award which will be offered to a young person between the age of 21-25 on the 17th of January 2007, from a developing country. The second category is a three pictures, one story invites entrants to create or tell a story of achievement in these three pictures.

The Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) Training Director, revealed that the overall winner of these awards will received £1000 and further prize will be awarded to the regional winners. She also noted that CPU organised the Photographic Awards with a view to promoting photo-journalism. “We hope that will help to encourage newspapers to use more photos and emulate the young photographers to take better pictures”, she said.

She added that “we are encouraging an independent view of press freedom, and democracy. We therefore endeavour, via these awards to promote photography as an important form of media.”

She disclosed that the Canberra Times/CPU Young Photographer Awards reflects the fact that today nearly half of the Commonwealth population is under he age of thiry, (about 900m) people. This award will give at least one talented young person the opportunity of learning more about photography and appreciating how a good image can tell a story.

She further stated that in addition to the awards, there will be several exhibitions that will take place in the Commonwealth cities feature the winning images. She added that the first exhibition will be held in London in March 2007.

The Awards are sponsored by the Canberra Times, Commonwealth Broadcasting Foundation, the Commonwealth Foundation, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Toronto’s Globe and Media and the Royal Commonwealth Society.

The CPU Training Director, noted that the association comprises over 1,500 newspapers and news agencies.

“CPU’s fundamentals objectives are to monitor and oppose any measures or proposals likely to affect the freedom of the press,” she mentionned. She further noted that, deadline for the entries is Wednesday 17th January 2007.

For details from the previous year awards, visit www.cpu.org.uk and click on the picture link.