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Transparency International 20th Anniversary Youth Writing and Photo competition reveals a deep desire to defeat corruption

Transparency International competition receives 1400 submissions

Transparency International, the anti-corruption group, today announced the winners of its 20th Anniversary Youth Photo and Writing Competition. The 1400 submissions revealed a deep understanding of how corruption is a cancer on society that must be stopped.

We asked participants aged between 18 and 30 years old to send images of the damaging effects of corruption on their world or to write an essay describing what people can do to stop it.

“The extraordinary talent exhibited in the hundreds of submissions shows young people around the world understand the terrible damage wrought by corruption and reveals a sincere desire to stop it. Young people clearly want to take a stand against corruption,” said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International.

The competition is one of several events marking the 20th anniversary of Transparency International this year and its efforts to thwart the abuse of power, bribery and secret dealings worldwide. It was organised in partnership with the Thomson Reuters Foundation and co-sponsored by the International Anti-Corruption Conference Series.

Entrants from Azerbaijan to Trinidad and Tobago used pictures and words to reveal how corruption invades schools, creates pollution and limits economic development.

The first place winners of the writing and photography competitions are invited to come to Berlin to receive their awards during Transparency International’s 20th Anniversary celebrations in November.

Winners of the two competitions can be viewed on Transparency International’s website and trust.org, the website of the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The winners

Photo Competition

1st place – Sony Ramany (Bangladesh)

2nd place – Rajarshi Chowdhury (India)

3rd place – Maria Francesca Avila (Philippines)

3rd place – Sumon Yusuf (Bangladesh)

Honourable Mention:

  • Mehman Huseynov (Azerbaijan)
  • A.M. Ahad (Bangladesh)
  • Jonas Kako (Germany)
  • Soham Gupta (India)
  • George Karugu Maina (Kenya)
  • Lee Harper (United Kingdom)

Writing Competition

1st place – Ugoh Wilson Emenike (Nigeria)

2nd place – Keisha Baisden (Trinidad and Tobago)

3rd place – Subecha Dahal (Nepal)

Winners will receive

Photo Competition

  • First Prize - A paid trip to Berlin to participate in a Transparency International event in November; up to €1,000 worth of camera equipment; work published on Transparency International’s website and trust.org, the Thomson Reuters Foundation website
  • Second Prize - work published on Transparency International’s website and trust.org; up to €400 worth of camera equipment
  • Third Prize - work published on Transparency International’s website and trust.org; up to €250 worth of camera equipment

Writing Competition

  • First Prize - A paid trip to Berlin to participate in a Transparency International event in November; work published on Transparency International’s website and trust.org, the Thomson Reuters Foundation website; a tablet computer
  • Second Prize - Work published on Transparency International’s website and trust.org; a tablet computer
  • Third Prize - Work published on Transparency International’s website and trust.org; up to €250 worth of books


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Chris Sanders
Manager, Media and Public Relations
+49 30 34 38 20 666
[email protected]