2007 Common Experience
International Photo Contest Winners

"The only real nation is humanity"
~ Mountains Beyond Mountains

First Place: Lauren Merrit

Arusha, Tanzania- As I stood over dry, orange dirt at the Sister Rachelle's Rehabilitation Center in Uganda, I held Christine's hand. She is the daughter of a child soldier , a young woman who was kidnapped and raped by the LRA. But today she was just a child playing and singing with a funny looking visitor, me.

 

Second Place: Teressa Martel

Paris, France- The extremes of this situation captures the divergent cultures that coexist literally, in the exact same place. The pious purity of the nun waiting by the side of the road when only hours or days before, someone defaced the otherwise pristine building.

 

Third Place: Emi Nishihara

Siem Reap, Cambodia- A happy pose by students in Cambodia at Siem Reap’s Artisans D’Angkor workshop for girls with hearing impairment. With friendly curiosity, these girls approached the photographer, inviting her inside to see their beautiful silk paintings. Such smiles are a universal human response to joy and pride in work.

 

Honorable Mention: Tyler Young

Jaipur, India- When my guide walked through the doorway of this ancient Indian palace, it became apparent to me that we all share the ability to appreciate the glory of the past. Not only that, but we also are able to see its beauty in a contemporary context.