The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, is honored to announce its tenth annual “Shining a Light” International Photography Contest and subsequent exhibition. This contest and exhibition will be informed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals #3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and #5 (Gender Equality). This year the Ali Center is asking participants to submit photographs that illustrate the various ways women compete and the challenges they face in sports all over the world.
At the end of the contest period, the Muhammad Ali Center will produce a documentary-style exhibition featuring 30 selected photographs, beginning on International Women’s Day, Friday, March 8, 2024.
CONTEST THEME
"Shining a Light: Women Athletes”
2020 marked a significant milestone for the Olympic Games with 49% of competing athletes being women. This progress came 120 years after women were admitted to compete in the 1900 Paris Olympics. However, despite the increasing representation of women in the sporting events, there remains a gender imbalance within the Olympic Committee as less than 20% of its members are women. Globally, women athletes continue to face discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, physical ability, personality, and various other factors. Additionally, women’s sports are notoriously underfunded, causing subpar playing conditions, insufficient equipment, and inequitable compensation.
Photographers, amateur and professional, are invited to submit photographs that illustrate the various ways in which women athletes compete or are discouraged from competing, internationally. This contest will accept photographs that illustrate the following themes:
- Disparities in women’s sporting facilities and equipment as they relate to men’s facilities and equipment
- Female athletes competing, professionally or recreationally, in a team setting or individually
- Gender inequities in sport based on sociopolitical climate
- The transformative impact of sports in empowering women and girls through physical fitness, health, agency, and community
EXHIBIT INTENTION
In the resulting documentary-style exhibition, the Muhammad Ali Center intends to increase awareness and to educate its visitors on inequality in sports, especially as they relate to women athletes globally. The objective is to inspire viewers to get involved and be a part of the solution and create change for a more just world.
CONTEST CALENDAR
- Call for Submissions: Saturday, July 1, 2023
- Entry Deadline: Sunday, December 31, 2023
- Muhammad Ali Center Exhibition: March 8, 2024 (International Women’s Day) – January 5, 2025
PRIZES
A monetary prize will be awarded directly to contestants by the Muhammad Ali Center in recognition of placing first, second, or third.
1st Prize — $1000
2nd Prize — $750
3rd Prize — $500
The monetary prize will be awarded in the form of a digital Swift transfer. Should you be awarded one of the above listed monetary prizes, you will need to send the appropriate bank information to amcgrath@alicenter.org for the transfer.
Information required of winning photographer: Personal bank Swift number, bank name, bank address, name for individual account and account number. Upon notification of award, more information about the transfer of funds will be provided. Please see the Swift website for more information: https://www.swift.com/.
Prizes will be sent within 4 weeks of the notification of placing first, second, or third.
If you live in the countries identified on the current U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, Sanctions Programs and Country Information list, you will not be eligible to receive prize money from this contest; however, you are not precluded from participating in this contest by submitting photographs. Follow the link to see the current OFAC list: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/sanctions-programs-and-country-information.
Other Recognition:
-Press Release
-Website
-Social Media
RULES AND LEGAL CONDITIONS
By submitting one or more photographs and participating in the “Shining a Light” photo contest, you agree to the following rules and legal conditions:
- All photographers are welcome; both amateur and professional.
- Photographers under the age of 18 are required to submit Parental Consent Form with their submission.
- You agree to limit your submissions to one photograph. Should more than one photograph be submitted, only the first will be accepted for consideration and all other(s) will be discarded.
- You agree to your photograph and name being displayed by the Muhammad Ali Center, published and/or used on websites owned and social media sites operated by the Muhammad Ali Center for an indefinite period, with appropriate credit line.
- You agree to your picture(s) and name being displayed at other venues for an indefinite period.
- Participants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their photographs, notwithstanding the rights granted above to the Muhammad Ali Center and other exhibition venues.
- Photographers selected by the Muhammad Ali Center will have the opportunity to opt into a photo sale agreement. Details below.
- This agreement is for the period of exhibition.
- The Muhammad Ali Center will pay for the cost of printing.
- All sales will be communicated to the photographer at the end of the exhibition period.
- Proceeds from the sales will be split with 40% to the photographers and 60% to the Muhammad Ali Center.
- All unsold prints will remain the property of the Muhammad Ali Center.
- The Muhammad Ali Center has the right to verify, at their sole judgment and discretion, winner eligibility.
- Participants warrant that their photographs:
- are original and
- do not infringe on any third party’s rights
- Participants agree that they have obtained all necessary permissions from any third party that appears in the photograph.
- The Muhammad Ali Center reserves the right, at its own discretion and judgment, to disqualify any entry if it finds in its sole discretion that any of the conditions above are not met.
- All decisions by the Muhammad Ali Center and its judges concerning the photo contest are final and binding.
SUBMISSIONS
Submission Deadline: Sunday, December 31, 2023, 11:59 PM (EST)
https://form.jotform.com/jsform/231075876524158
ABOUT SHINING A LIGHT
The Muhammad Ali Center leveraged its existing capacity to increase awareness around issues of human rights and social justice on local, national, and international stages. In 2013 the Muhammad Ali Center created “Shining a Light,” an international photography contest focused on gender equality. The “Shining a Light” exhibition opens in conjunction with International Women’s Day on March 8 every year and offers educational programming about the selected topic to enhance the audiences’ experience.
ABOUT THE MUHAMMAD ALI CENTER
The Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c)3 corporation, was co-founded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The international cultural center promotes the six core principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, gender equity, and global citizenship. Its newest initiative, Generation Ali, fosters a new generation of leaders to contribute positively to their communities and to change the world for the better. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience.
CONTACT
For additional information about the photo contest, rules, awards, exhibitions, and venues, please email amcgrath@alicenter.org or visit www.alicenter.org.