Yacout El-Sahwi Photography Competition

Alexandria Atelier Camera Club

Organized by AGORA Arts & Culture

About Yacout El-Sahwi:

Yacout El Sahwi is a medical doctor who established a private hospital bearing the name of Mohammad Farid in 1946. Lived in Germany,Austria, Kuwait, UAE and Alexandria. The late Dr. ElSahwi is one of the founders of the Camera Club of Alexandria Atelier. He participated in individual and group exhibitions locally and internationally. He has many published books and has won numerous international awards.

Recognizing his significance in the field of photography, his family and the Camera Club of Alexandria Atelier in cooperation with AGORA Arts and Culture are organizing a photography competition under his name.

About the Competition:

In the past few months, Egypt has witnessed a change in its contemporary history; something that has not happened since seven thousand years, the January 25th 2011 Revolution which targeted the corrupt and dictatorial country rule. Photographers played an important role in documenting the happenings where pictures were weapons in the hands of the protestors. Having participated in the revolution and living its events moment by moment through documenting it photographically, select one of the pictures that reflect the Egyptian revolution through your eyes.

Competition Information:

Title: Egyptian Revolution

Participants: Amateurs and Professionals

Age of Participation: From 18 years

Participation Fees: 50 EGP (to be used for the printing)

Printing: the organizers will take care of the printing

Deadline of submission: 31 May 2011

Jury: Winners will be selected through the voting of Alexandria Atelier Artists and a group of other professional plastic artists (Their names will be announced later).

Exhibition: Photos will be displayed in an exhibition taking place in Alexandria Atelier during 16-25 June 2011. Awards will be distributed on the opening ceremony.

Awards: Monetary Awards will be distributed as follows:

First Prize: 1500 EGP

Second Prize: 1000 EGP

Third Prize: 500 EGP

Prizes are granted from the family of Dr. Karim El-Sahwi

Winning Photos: The Photography Club of Alexandria Atelier will keep the three winning photos, and will return all other photos to their owners during a period of maximum 15 days after the exhibition.

How to Apply:

-        Fill in the Application which is available on the following link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19gIILkwRFxa_uFxy9Hw34XFeBeADc5f8CLeJu5Nspqw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CKjrx-IO

Or

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MApOHdbNsgVN7P8ktVuNzbi5wHVMfi4DviMGxW35ehM/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMqk8Z8L#

-        The Application is to be filled in electronically, then printed and signed using a blue pen.

-        A CD containing only one photo sized 50X70 cm with a high resolution minimum 300 dpi (in case you send more than one Photo, all of them will not be taken into consideration).

-        Submit an envelope containing the application form signed, the CD and the participation fees. Write your name and the title of the Competition on the Envelope cover.

-        Submit the Envelope by hand in Alexandria Atelier (6 Viktor Bassily Street, Azarita) during the working hours to Mr. Ahmed Saad. Working Hours of the Atelier are daily from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm except Sundays.

-        For Participants residing outside Alexandria, they can send their envelopes by post to the Atelier's address.

-        Each artist shall bear the responsibility of the property rights of his Photos.

Important Notice:

In case you submit an incomplete envelope, it will not be taken into consideration

Please do not include your signature on the Photo for the transparency of the Voting.

WHAT IS AGORA

BACKGROUND:

Ancient Greeks followed the human scale in building their Cities; their cities were consistent with the size and proportions of the human being, which is one of the significant factors of the Greek culture and civilization. The lack of landscape planning in the ancient Greek cities meant defense against the enemy. Aristotle encouraged planning a part of the city and leaving the other part randomly planned to meet art and beauty with security and safety.

"Agora" in Greek literally means "a place of gathering"; a place where people can meet and express themselves. From here, the technique of "Urban Open Spaces" in Urban Planning was developed. Urban Open Spaces are one of the basic components of the architecture of any city; it is the pot that accommodates public events of a large population, where people express their opinions and engage in activities, ceremonies and rituals. Historical traces show us the importance of the Public Spaces, its role in developing past civilizations, and its impact on the people's sense of belonging, the collective freedom of expression, thus, shaping the societies. 

From the "AGORA" in the Greek cities through the "SPACE" in the Islamic cities and finally to the "SQUARE" in modern cities, we can easily monitor the important role of public spaces which gives the opportunity to the people to express themselves and verify the concept of Place Democracy that tightens the sense of belonging and efficiently links between the members of the community.

For this reason, and for the reason that the AGORA of Alexandria played a core role in shaping the current identity of the City, I chose the title AGORA Arts and Culture for an organization with the endeavor of reviving the concept of the real Agora as a gathering place and a venue for "Self-expression" through Arts Practice.