LONDON—The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has announced its judging panel for the World Sight Day 2023 Annual Photo Competition and entries are being accepted now through Oct. 20, 2023. Since 2015, the IAPB World Sight Day Photo Competition has highlighted the importance of eye health, shone a light on the social and economic impact of sight loss, and celebrated the tireless efforts of those who work to ensure eye health for all. The photo competition, which is made possible with support from Bayer, invites amateur and professional photographers from around the world to demonstrate their skills and share with the world what it means to #LoveYourEyes.

The 2023 competition welcomes a panel of six expert judges, each a leading voice in their field, and together representing diverse experience, expertise, and perspective. The judges for the IAPB World Sight Day 2023 Photo Competition include IAPB president, Caroline Casey, optometrist and World Sight Day 2022 photo competition winner, Kwame Yeboah, senior vice-president, editorial director of Vision Monday and VMAIL, Jobson Optical Group, Marge Axelrad, guide, scientist, writer and professional photographer, Aníbal Bueno, professional photographer, Imraan Gallo, and consultant ophthalmologist and vitreo-retinal surgeon at St. Paul's Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Professor Ian Pearce.

"This year, World Sight Day is focusing on the world of work and highlighting the critical importance of prioritizing eyecare. To tie this theme into the photo competition IAPB has added a new category ‘LOVE YOUR EYES AT WORK’, encouraging participants to submit a picture capturing subjects prioritizing eyecare in the workplace," said Simon Darvill, director of communications, campaigns & events at IAPB. He added, “We are excited to launch this year’s World Sight Day Photo Competition. The competition continues to be a highlight of the #LoveYourEyes campaign, and each year we are impressed by the caliber of submissions.”

 
 Photo by Graham Coates courtesy of IAPB
Last year’s Professional Photo of the Year winner and judge for this year’s competition, Kwame Yeboah said, “I fully recognize the importance of eye health and the impact of vision loss on individuals and societies worldwide. I am delighted to be part of this year’s photo competition, an initiative that aims to raise awareness and promote accessible, available and affordable eye care for all.” 

The IAPB World Sight Day 2023 Photo Competition is part of the IAPB World Sight Day #LoveYourEyes campaign. World Sight Day is on October 12, 2023 and is the opportunity to focus the world’s attention on the importance of eyecare. This year, IAPB is calling on the sector to join us to help people prioritize their eye health, and calling on business leaders to ensure eyecare is accessible, inclusive and available to workers everywhere. 

Photo submissions can be made here. The competition is accepting images now and closes October 20, 2023. Prizes include $1,000 and $750 U.S. dollar cash prizes. IAPB encourages the use of ALT text and/or image descriptions on digital platforms to ensure the accessibility of images.Winners will be announced Nov. 1, 2023.
 
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is the overarching alliance for the global eyecare sector with nearly 200 members worldwide drawn from NGOs and civil society, corporate organizations, professional bodies and research and eyecare institutions.