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Información del concurso en español y portugués aquí

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Dear colleagues from Ibero-America:

Good news. POY Latam is back for its biennial event. We will receive entries from April 1 to 30, 2023 and the judging will take place from May 25 to 28. The categories and rules are already posted on our website https://poylatam.org/.

The pandemic is behind us, but the aftermath is still present. Inequity has deepened in our region. Dissatisfaction, nonconformity and anger are spreading in many of our countries, transforming political agendas. Of the ideas of utopian brotherhood and harmony with nature that we contemplated during the pandemic, very little remains. The world is brutal and cruel. And yet, in spite of it all, people celebrate, love, believe and cultivate hope.

We must fight against the simplistic attempts of the developed countries' press to pigeonhole Latin America into stereotypes of violence and exoticism. We are undoubtedly much more than that. We have to appropriate our own narratives, tell our own stories, and do so without fear, without imposed rules.

That is the meaning of POY Latam: that we look from the south and towards the south, that we give ourselves permission to tell our own stories. And this is not a marginal or superficial issue. Building our multiple, hybrid, kaleidoscopic, diverse identity is an existential necessity.

Big changes are coming in the POY Latam of 2023. First of all Loup Langton, my dear friend and partner, decided to retire. Without his passion for Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, this space for reflection would not exist. A heartfelt thank you for his tireless work to train photographers throughout the region. He left a mark.

On the other hand, Kim Grinfeder, the good friend and director of the new film and multimedia area, also decided to step aside. He was the wizard behind the new technologies and the visionary who allowed us to think of new ways to tell stories. Thanks to Loup and Kim for their selfless work.

I stayed on as the sole director. For POY Latam to remain relevant, it has to be the result of a collective and horizontal reflection, so I asked an excellent group of colleagues to help me rethink the contest. Gael Almeida, Angela Berlinde, Maíra Gamarra, Manuel Ortiz, Yinna Higuera, Gisela Volá and Tiago Santana have formed the Advisory Board.

We will inform you in detail of the decisions taken, but allow me to make a brief summary: preserve free and transparent judging - what makes us unique ; create two sections, one for classic photojournalism and one totally open to new trends, with two different juries; rethink and reorganize the categories; eliminate second and third prizes, since it makes no sense to say that one work is superior to another; assume an egalitarian agenda and unrestricted defense of human rights; and of course, make the most important decisions as a collegiate body; institute POY Latam as a non-profit foundation; and promote, beyond the contest, a permanent educational agenda and a continuous presence in networks. These are new times, and we are convinced that we will see the fruits of a more daring, more open, more Ibero-American and more relevant contest for our times.

Pablo Corral Vega Director of POY Latam

What winners receive

The winner of the category “photojournalist of the year” receives a thousand dollars cash prize. The winners of other categories receive a certificate.

About POY Latam

POY Latam is not for profit and seeks to reach the general public through the organization of the contest, exhibitions, workshops and publications.

How to enter

POY Latam is open only to photographers from Ibero-America (Latin America, Portugal and Spain) or residents for at least one year from a country in Ibero-America. The winning photographers will have to prove their nationality or their status as residents.

Judging criteria

The judges will meet virtually and each will make a pre-selection on their own. Those essays or individual photos that receive at least two votes will go to the final rounds, which will be broadcast live.