WASHINGTON (Jan. 26, 2012)—Fourteen-year-old Makayla Hayes from the United States was named the international grand-prize winner of National Geographic’s fifth annual International Photography Contest for Kids, conducted in partnership with the English-language edition of National Geographic Kids magazine and nine international local-language editions. Hayes’ underwater self-portrait also placed first in the international “People” category. Fifteen-year-old Chase Guttman of the United States placed first in the “Scenery” category for his unique perspective of a woman on a log, and 14-year-old Courtney Bardwell from the United States placed first in the “Animals” category for her photo of a reflection of a barn in a horse’s eye. Thirteen-year-old Lara Pučko from Slovenia was the first-place winner in the “Humor” category for her street sign portraiture. The winning images can be viewed in an online photo gallery at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/gallery/international-photo-contest-2011-for-kids-international-winners/.
“National Geographic’s International Photography Contest for Kids is a terrific avenue for National Geographic Kids magazine to encourage kids around the globe to document the world around them in a creative way,” said Melina Bellows, executive vice president and chief creative officer for Books, Kids and Family, at the National Geographic Society. “With each year, the number and quality of our entries continue to grow, and we hope this activity will inspire a lifelong love of photography among our readers.”
Honorable mentions go to 11-year-old Viktorija Ruta from Lithuania and 11-year-old Zeynep Korkmaz from Turkey in the “Animals” category; 12-year-old Peter Keöves from Hungary and 12-year-old Laura Naudžiūnaitė from Lithuania in the “Humor” category; 13-year-old Austėja Azguridytė from Lithuania and 15-year-old Catie Dixon from the United Kingdom in the “People” category; and 12-year-old Radvilė Dilytė from Lithuania and 12-year-old Gabriela Emilova Penkova from Bulgaria in the “Scenery” category.
The four top photographs were chosen from more than 12,000 entries from the United States and Canada, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Lithuania, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Each country held a national contest and, in the final round, sent one photo from each of the four categories to National Geographic headquarters for judging. Judges were National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths; Julie Agnone, vice president of National Geographic Kids magazine; and Jay Sumner, National Geographic Children’s Publishing photo director.
As international grand-prize winner, Hayes, from Marion, Ill., receives an all-expenses-paid trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. The winning entries from each territory will be featured in their local editions.
In the U.S./Canada regional competition, Guttman, a New York City resident, was awarded the grand prize and took first prize in the “Scenery” category. Hayes placed first in the “People” category. Bardwell, from Paola, Kan., took first place in the “Animals” category, and 13-year-old Sahra Shams from Toronto, Ontario, was named first-place winner in the “Humor” category.
Second-place honors went to Austin Claypool from Calgary, Alberta, in the “Scenery” category; Jake Childers from Hickory, N.C., in the “Animals” category; Hanna Ball from Calabasas, Calif., in the “People” category; and Jacqueline Hollander from Piedmont, Calif., in the “Humor” category.
There were more than 6,600 entries from the United States and Canada. Judges for this regional contest were National Geographic Kids Senior Editor Catherine Hughes, Art Director Nicole Lazarus, Senior Photo Editor Kelley Miller and Photo Editor Lisa Jewell.
As grand-prize winner of the U.S./Canada contest, Guttman receives a nine-day, eight-night trip for a family of four to Costa Rica, courtesy of The Adventure Company and the Adventure Center. The four first- and second-place category winners in the U.S./Canada edition receive digital camera kits and a selection of National Geographic books. The international grand prize-winning image, along with the first- and second-place photos for the U.S. and Canada, will be featured in the May 2012 issue of National Geographic Kids magazine (U.S. edition).
About National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids inspires young adventurers to explore the world through award-winning magazines, books, apps, games, toys, television series, events and a website, and is the only kids brand with a world-class scientific organization at its core. The U.S. editions of National Geographic Kids (10 issues per year) and Little Kids (six issues per year) are photo-driven publications available on newsstands or by subscription in print and on tablets. The magazine has 16 international editions, including the U.S. edition, which is also available in Canada. The award-winning website kids.nationalgeographic.com excites kids about the planet through games, videos, contests, photos, quizzes, and blogs about cultures, animals and destinations. National Geographic Kids Books is the leading nonfiction publisher with up to 100 nonfiction titles each year, including the New York Times’ bestselling “Kids Almanac.” National Geographic Kids Games engages kids to learn through play with games like the online virtual animal world of Animal Jam and the interactive TV experience of Nat Geo Kinect TV. National Geographic Kids Apps bring the best of National Geographic Kids to smart phones and tablets.
Copyright (C) 2012 National Geographic Ventures. All Rights Reserved.
Note: Images/captions/credit/category winner information can be found on the ftp site:
http://press.nationalgeographic.com/downloads/IPC_Kids (user name: press | password: press).
Contacts:
Elizabeth Nickless
National Geographic
(202) 775-6163
enickles@ngs.org