The EAPA prize was hotly contested but was finally awarded to a photo essay titled “Kibera: Stories from Within”, a long term documentary project by Kenyan photographer, Brian Otieno, who takes home a Canon EOS 80D with an EF 18-135mm lens. Competition’s judge Georgina Goodwin said about the EAPA: “The award provides a unique platform bringing photographers from the East Africa region together, an opportunity for us to celebrate photography and to tell our stories as East Africans. The level of interest for this inaugural award has been wonderful. We judges deliberated at length and in the end are very happy to be awarding the placings to photographers from different countries in the region, showing a good overall distribution of talent. East Africa photographers, let’s support this award and elevate this opportunity for next year.”
The UPPA and EAPA were judged by an international jury composed of photography professionals Yasuyoshi Chiba (KE/JP), Georgina Goodwin (KE), Martin Kharumwa (UG), Frederic Noy (UG/FR) and Annette Sebba (UG).
The Young Photographer Award is a competition geared towards passionate photographers in the early stages of their careers and working within documentary photography or photojournalism, who would benefit from tools and support to realize their vision as storytellers. Jibril Kwizera has been selected as the winner of the third edition of YPA and receives a Canon EOS 1300D camera kit as well as a place in the 7-month long Mentorship Programme and a chance to exhibit during UPPA 2019. The judges for this competition were Jide Adeniji Jones (NG/USA), Laura Beltran Villamizar (CO/NL), Benjamin Füglister (CH/DE), Katie Simmonds (UK/AE), and Sarah Waiswa (UG/KE), who had this to say about the 2018 edition: “It is always heartwarming for me to see young Africans, young Ugandans expressing themselves through photography. I am excited to see how the work of the winners develops over time, particularly with the educational opportunity afforded to them by the award”.
