“Women in focus” is the topic of the exhibition mounted at the EU Info Centre in Belgrade and the EU Info Point in Niš, showcasing the 20 best entries submitted in the photo contest of the same name, organised by the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia and the magazine National Geographic, Serbian edition. Through the lens of professional photographers, photo amateurs and enthusiasts, the audiences are invited to see the portraits of female role models who are defying gender norms.

The idea behind the initiative is to draw attention to women whose strength, perseverance and creativity inspires us, reminding us that gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls are prerequisites for sustainable development, social cohesion, and an overall prosperous society.

With this contest, the EU Delegation to Serbia and the National Geographic magazine in Serbia have joined the international campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which kicked off on 25 November.

The awards to the authors of the best photographs (3) in the category Best photo taken by citizens, as well as the best photograph created within an EU-funded project, were presented by Paul-Henri Presset, Head of Information, Communications and Media, and Igor Rill, editor of the Serbian edition of National Geographic magazine.

On this occasion, Paul-Henri Presset, Head of Information, Communication and Media of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, said:

“The idea behind the initiative is to draw attention to women whose strength, perseverance and creativity inspires us, reminding us that gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls are prerequisites for sustainable development, social cohesion and an overall prosperous society. Over 1,500 entries we received show the importance of this topic in Serbia.”

Igor Rill, editor of the Serbian edition of National Geographic magazine, added:

“The European Union and National Geographic are logical partners, regardless of the topic we are dealing with. This is the third contest we have organised together. Nature, human rights, or gender equality, they all work the same, and our goal is always to send a subtle message to people in Serbia about how we can build a better world together.”

Dejan Valek, author of the best photo in the Women in Men’s Sports category:

“I entered this contest out of a desire to answer the topic in my own way. I often have the opportunity to take photos of events in this sport and that’s how I met the girl in my photo, who has always amazed me by being the only girl who practices this sport, which I find cruel in a way. People often think that women are not made for sport, but I beg to differ, and, as you can see in the photo, this girl, although seemingly fragile, is indeed strong and can participate in this sport shoulder-to-shoulder with men, despite them being physically stronger than her.”

Igor Salinger, laureate of the third prize for the photo entitled The Best:

“This prestigious contest, spearheaded by a couple of highly reputable institutions, states the conditions for participation rather clearly, which I think is important for the authors. The topic of wider social importance being tackled by these two institutions served as an additional motivation for me. Being selected among 1,500 excellent photos is another proof that I was not wrong.”

In the category of the Best Photo of an EU project, the award went to the photo entitled Tatjana Stojšić Petković, a psychologist from organisation Iz kruga Vojvodina from Novi Sad, took by Igor Mandić. The photo was taken within the project Key Steps to Gender Equality in Serbia.

UN Women:

The authors of the awarded photos will receive vouchers for the purchase of photo equipment; the authors of the winning photo will be awarded a voucher for the purchase of photo equipment to the tune of EUR 1,000; the runner-up will receive a voucher worth EUR 500; whereas the second runner-up will receive a voucher worth EUR 300; finally, the author of the best photo of an EU project will receive a diploma.

Exhibition “Women in Focus” at the EU Info Point in Niš

The photos were judged by a jury consisting of:

  • Goranka Matić, photographer and art historian whose retrospective exhibition “Experience in the Crowd” was held this year at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade;
  • Aleksandar Kelić, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade;
  • Igor Rill, editor, National Geographic Serbia;
  • David Pužado, Belgrade Photo Month;
  • Daliborka Nikolić, communications officer, EU Info Network.

The winning photos, as well as the 16 shortlisted photos, will be published in the electronic edition of our publication in Serbian and English, while the winning photo will be published in the January issue of the Serbian edition of National Geographic magazine.

We’d like to congratulate the winners and thank all participants in the “Women in Focus” photo contest!