IAPB announces winners of World Sight Day 2021 photo competition

"Ladakhi Weaver" by Julie-Anne Davies is this year’s winning professional Photo of the Year in the IAPB competition.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness has presented the winners of its World Sight Day 2021 photo competition.

An independent panel of five judges selected the winners.

The judges have chosen ‘Ladakhi Weaver’ by Julie-Anne Davies as this year’s winning professional Photo of the Year and ‘Going to School’ by Saiful Islam as the winning amateur Photo of the Year.

According to the IAPB, this year’s winners were selected from more than 1000 images submitted from around the world.

“Our hope was that the competition would provide professional and amateur photographers with the opportunity to share the stories they’ve captured, and we have been blown away by the calibre of submissions, which are nothing short of exceptional,” said Simon Darvill, head of communications for the IAPB. “We thank everyone who participated and congratulate our winners.”

Fatima Zehra, program manager of Vision Trust and IAPB Eye Health Hero 2020, trainer and consultant, lauded the Davies’ photograph and its ability to convey the importance of vision.

“This image clearly shows the impact of good vision on personal and economic growth,” she said. “This picture has rightly captured the hope, joy and happiness of a woman who can see clearly.”

"Going to School" by Saiful Islam as the winning amateur Photo of the Year in the IAPB competition.

Judge Michael Schoenfeld, an award-winning photographer who won the World Sight Day photo competition in the professional category in 2020, said he was taken by the color in Islam’s photograph.

“’Going to School’ has such a beautiful, unified color palette, great expression and emotional tone…The thoughtfulness of the background, harmonizing so well with the subject shows the depth and maturity of the photographer,” he said.

Darvill added that since its inception in 2015, the World Sight Day Photo Competition has highlighted the importance of eye health by shining a light on the social and economic impact of vision loss.

“This year the submissions achieved that and so much more,’ he said. “Choosing winners was not an easy task, but I thank our judges for lending their time and expertise.”

The judging panel consisted of Dave Hogan, World-Renowned Celebrity Photographer, Caroline Casey, Founder and Creator of The Valuable 500, Michael Schoenfeld, Multi-Award-Winning Photographer, Marge Axelrad, Editorial Director of Vision Monday and VMail, Jobson Optical Group, and Fatima Zehra, Eye Health Hero 2020, Trainer and Consultant.

In addition to Zehra and Schoenfeld, the panel of judges also included Caroline Casey, founder and creator of The Valuable 500 and president, IAPB; Dave Hogan, a celebrity photographer who has served as official photographer for the Rolling Stones and has photographed a wide range of celebrities over the years; and Marge Axelrad, senior vice president and editorial director of Vision Monday and VMAIL.

The IAPB World Sight Day Photo Competition is made possible with support from Bayer. The competition is part of the IAPB World Sight Day #LoveYourEyes campaign.

Visit the IAPB World Sight Day 2021 Photo Competition page to learn more about the winning images, category finalists and the 2021 panel of judges.