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Shoot Nations 2010 is Launched

Plan UK has once again teamed up with Shoot Experience to launch the fifth annual Shoot Nations global youth photography competition. A winning image from the 2009 competition: Monika Urbutyte's response to 'What is holding me back?'

Each year thousands of youngsters from more than 100 countries take part in the online contest in a bid to be crowned the world’s best young snapper with a presentation to the UN headquarters in New York.

This time round judges are looking for images which depict everyday life in the world’s cities – from London to Lagos.

With more than 50 per cent of the world’s population now living in urban areas for the first time in human history, this year's theme of 'City Living' reflects this monumental shift.

Shoot Nations leader George Anang'a, from Plan UK, said the competition was about spotting great talent and giving young people a voice.

"This is the fourth Shoot Nations competition in which Plan have participated and every year the bar just gets higher, the standard is fantastic,” he said.

"The idea is that the smallest community or family issue in any area of the world can be photographed and displayed at the highest level of global government, the United Nations.

"This year we want to use the cities theme to build a picture of what urban environments mean to young people whilst focusing on the movement of people and the impact this has on the surrounding environment."

Shoot Nations is free to enter, and is open to anyone between the ages of 11 and 25 with two age group categories, 11 – 16 years and 17 – 25 years.

Entrants should submit up to three shots each, with a brief explanation of why each photo demonstrates the photographer’s feelings towards ‘City Living’.

A shortlist of the best UK entries will be revealed on MTV.co.uk and the Best UK Photo winner chosen by MTV viewers.

Prizes

The UK winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York to present winning and commended photos to the United Nations on International Youth Day, August 12.

Other prizes include Olympus cameras, designer maps and National Geographic subscriptions.

For more information and to enter the competition visit www.shootnations.org.