Africa Soft Power unveils winner of 2024 Climate Change Photo Essay Prize

The Africa Soft Power Group (ASP) has unveiled the winner of the 2024 Climate Change Photo Essay Prize, along with the other four finalists whose work will be showcased across a global exhibition tour in Lagos, Los Angeles, London, New York and at the Africa Soft Power Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

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This article is sponsored by Africa Soft Power Group

The overall winner of the 2024 Climate Change Photo Essay Prize has been named as Garba Bakura of Nigeria. An anonymised judging process conducted across two rounds was designed to ensure accuracy and impartiality across a range of criteria. His innovative piece In Search for A Drop depicts the increasing centrality of water, and the transportation system that moves it, in sustaining farming communities that are now otherwise completely surrounded by desert.

The four additional finalists who will be joining Bakura in the exhibition have been named as:

Ahmed Abubakar Bature (Nigeria): After the Waters: Tales of Flood, Displacement, and Resilience;

Jules Munyantore (Rwanda): Caught in Tide of Change;

Adedolapo Boluwatife Abimbola (Nigeria): Invitation to Invade; and

David Olayide (Nigeria): Zero Green.

In addition to the finalists, four submissions have been recognised as highly commended. These are:

Edgar Kanyike (Uganda): Lake Victoria – aka Nalubaale – takes over; 

Aida Namukose (Kenya): Men of the water;

Cheikh Oumar Diallo (Senegal): Victim or responsible; and

Hamadomo Timothe Guindo (Mali): Architecture Traditionnelle.

Growing urgency, changing  perspectives

Now in its second year, the prize invites 18-30yr olds from Africa and its diaspora community to submit 3-5 photos that collectively depict the impact of climate change on our world today. Themed “At a Crossroad: Climate and change”, this year’s programme also emphasises the need for more Africa-centric voices within the global sustainability conversation – a topic that is still often seen through a western lens, despite the fact that Africa has been on the frontlines of social and environmental change for decades.

“African perspectives on climate change are important, and particularly the perspectives of young people, for whom these issues will increasingly become a day-to-day concern,” said Nkiru Balonwu, founder of the ASP Group. “Bakura’s work was felt by the judges to be exceptional; that said, all of the finalists – and many of the pieces that have not been curated into the final exhibition – were of an incredibly high standard, and our judging panel had its work cut out in whittling them down. We had an overwhelming number of entries this year, and the appetite to have a voice on this critical topic was clear to see.” 

Experienced assessment

That judging panel was made up of five experts, with a broad range of experience, who were: 

Adenrele Sonariwo (Nigeria):Founder, Rele Gallery & Rele Art Foundation;

Mario Macilau (Mozambique):Multi-Disciplinary Artist and Activist

Paula Moreno (Colombia):Founder, Corporación Manos Visibles

Kojo Boakye (Ghana):VP, Public Policy, Africa, Middle East and Türkiye, META and

Adriana Barbosa (Brazil): Founder & CEO, PretaHub.

The discipline of photography was chosen specifically because of its ability to communicate with audiences universally, in what is a global challenge that will require cross-demographic collaboration. It’s also evident from shifting social media trends that young people communicate online through an increasingly visual language, and photography represents the perfect starting point for engaging people in active participation in this discussion. 

In addition to inclusion in the global exhibition, Bakura will also receive a cash prize for his winning entry, as well as wider media support to help promote his piece. All entrants into the contest retain full copyright over their work.