World Sight Day 2023 photo competition winners revealed

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has revealed the winners of the World Sight Day 2023 photo competition.

Santanu Bose’s ‘The Artist’ was selected as the professional photo of the year, while ‘The Smile of Happiness’ by Marisa Martins Armada received the accolade for amateur photo of the year.

Bose’s image shows Reba Pal, an artist engaged in a traditional hand-painted art form.

‘The Smile of Happiness,’ shows an interaction between the photographer, who was working as an optometrist volunteer with Ocularis ONGD, with a market seller, Cidália.

The winning photographs were selected from almost a thousand submitted images.

Caroline Casey, IAPB president and photo competition judge, said of the competition entrants: “These pictures show how we can help people with visual needs and encourage everyone to take good care of their eyes. It helps more people, including policy makers, understand why taking care of our eyes must be a priority.”

The competition was judged by a panel including Casey, Anibal Bueno, scientist and professional photographer, Professor Ian Pearce, a consultant ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon, Marge Axelrad, senior vice president and editorial director of Vision Monday and VMail, Imraan Gallo, a visually impaired photographer and advocate for artists with disabilities, and Kwame Yeboah Jnr., optometrist and the winner of the 2022 World Sight Day photo competition.

Thanking the participants, and congratulating the winners, Simon Darvill, director of communications, campaigns and events for IAPB, said: “The success of this year’s photo competition mirrors the enthusiasm we witnessed for World Sight Day – the global celebrations around the Love Your Eyes campaign were truly awe-inspiring.”

“Since its inception in 2015, the World Sight Day photo competition, supported by Bayer, has helped tell the story of eye care; the social and economic impact of having accessible, available and affordable eye care and the flip side,” he added.