Did you know that by 2050, nearly 70% of people will live in urban areas?

What is it like to live in one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing cities?

What makes your neighbourhood and city a sustainable place to live?

SHOW THE WORLD!

Send us your original photograph, painting, or self-drawn map showing what makes your neighbourhood sustainable for your chance to be entered into our international virtual exhibition as part of the ESRC’s 2020 Festival of Social Sciences. Prizes will be awarded to shortlisted entries.

Brief:

Rapid urban growth is one of the most important global challenges affecting all countries across the globe. By 2050, the United Nations estimates that 68% of the world’s population will live in cities. Urbanisation is shaping our everyday life in our local communities, but is it helping to make our neighbourhoods more, or less, sustainable?

From your daily commute to the weekly food shop and social gatherings we want to see your photograph, painting or self-drawn map that tell us what makes your neighbourhood sustainable.

Your entry should be authentic and show your own personal story of everyday life.

Where your entry will be shown and how your entry will be shortlisted:

Your entry and caption will be uploaded to the Centre for Sustainable, Healthy and Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods (SHLC)’s website and social media channels including Twitter and Instagram.

Our audience will then be invited to vote for (‘like’) their favourite image and let us know why in the comments section.

The top ten most liked images will be shortlisted to be shown as part of an hour-long virtual exhibition to take place via Zoom as part of ESRC’s 2020 Festival of Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

How to submit:

Download the submission form and submit your entry via email to shlc-info@glasgow.ac.uk by 18:00 (British Summer Time) 30 September.

Please include:

  • Photograph/painting/map – high-resolution attachment (at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side)
  • Your first name and last name
  • Your contact email address
  • Your neighbourhood, city and country you live in
  • Title of your entry (no more than 30 words)
  • Caption (no more than 250 words)
  • Confirmation that it is your original work
  • Confirmation you have obtained the necessary consent

Eligibility and terms and conditions:

  • Entrants must be at least 18 years of age and submissions must be from Glasgow or one of SHLC’s partner countries: Bangladesh, China, India, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, or Tanzania.
  • Entries must show ‘what makes your neighbourhood sustainable’ and must represent an urban, not a rural, neighbourhood.
  • Entries can be a photograph, painting, or self-drawn map. Entrants may submit up to three images (photograph, painting and/or map).
  • In order to ensure high-quality reproduction, we will require larger versions of shortlisted entries. All participants must be able to submit a high-resolution copy of their images upon request (at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side).
  • Images can be landscape or portrait.
  • Entries must be your original work.
  • Entries must comply with ethical guidelines and have obtained appropriate consent. For more information on ethical guidelines see guidance from BOND or The Dóchas Code of Conduct.
  • Entries must do no harm to any people or places included in the photograph, painting or map.
  • By entering you grant SHLC an unrestricted, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, display, distribute and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit). Such use may include, but is not limited to: a photo exhibit or slideshow featuring selected images from the contest; use for illustration purposes on the SHLC website and social media channels as well as any future SHLC publications. All entrants will be credited as the original producer of the image.

Ethics and informed consent:

Please ensure that people who are in the photo who are identifiable have given consent for their photo to be taken and shared either in writing or orally. We would also request that no photos involve children who are identifiable.

In addition, those persons in the photos should:

  • know how their images could be used for the exhibition and further work of SHLC;
  • know how long you will keep their image for;
  • know that they have a right to withdraw their consent at any time and be given details on how they would withdraw their consent should they wish to do so; and
  • be reassured that withdrawing consent is not just ok, it is their legal right.

If you are unable to obtain written consent then verbal consent would be the next option.

If it is difficult to get consent, then focus on capturing abstract images or images of large crowd scenes where people are not identifiable.

For more information on ethical guidelines see guidance from BOND or The Dóchas Code of Conduct.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Who are we?
    • We are the GCRF Centre for Sustainable, Healthy and Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods (SHLC). We are an international research consortium addressing urban, health and education challenges in 14 cities across Africa and Asia. SHLC is funded by the UK government’s Global Challenges Research Fund via UK Research and Innovation and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
  • What is the ESRC’s 2020 Festival of Social Sciences?
    • The Festival is an annual celebration of the social sciences that offers an insight into some of the leading social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives – both now and in the future. It aims to engage with policymakers, business, the public, and young people to raise their awareness of how social sciences shape public policy and contribute to making the economy more competitive, as well as giving people a better understanding of 21st-century society.
  • Who has usage rights to the images?
    • By entering you grant SHLC an unrestricted, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, display, distribute and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit). Such use may include, but is not limited to: a photo exhibit or slideshow featuring selected images from the contest; use for illustration purposes on SHLC website and social media channels as well as future SHLC publications.
    • SHLC will always credit the original producer of the image.
    • SHLC will not be required to seek any additional approval in connection with such use.
  • How will submissions be scored?
    • All entries that meet the eligibility criteria will be uploaded SHLC’s website and social media channels (Twitter and Instagram).
    • Our audience will then be invited to vote for (‘like’) their favourite image via our social media channels and let us know why in the comments section.
    • The top ten most liked images will be shortlisted to be shown as part of an hour-long virtual exhibition to take place via Zoom and attendees will be invited to vote for their favourite image.
  • Are there prizes?
    • Yes! All shortlisted entries featured at the virtual exhibition will receive a photobook. The top three winning entries will receive a professionally printed and framed copy of their image.