FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2003

Poignant Photo Of Refugee Child Takes Top Prize At First Annual Photoshare Contest Sponsored By Hopkins' INFO Project

BALTIMORE - A moving photo of a young boy with emotion-filled eyes in a Guinean refugee camp won Best of Show Friday at the 1st Annual Photoshare Photo Contest. Nell Kussian of the American Refugee Committee submitted the winning photo in the competition sponsored by the INFO Project of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP).

The Information and Knowledge for Optimal Health Project, or INFO, is a reproductive health knowledge-sharing resource supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development. INFO's Photoshare is a unique photo resource for non-profits to share photos and communicate health and development issues through photography. The Photoshare archive, available exclusively for educational and non-profit purposes, contains thousands of photos that capture urban and rural life in developing countries as well as global efforts to improve health and save lives.

Open to amateurs and professionals alike, the contest drew interest from around the globe. Participants submitted 300 photos shot in 30 different countries. In addition to Best of Show, prizes were awarded for top photo in six categories, Photoshare Image of the Year, and Outstanding Photoshare Contributor. Winners are as follows:

Best of Show
Nell Kussian

Maternal and Child Health
- Judges' Selection 1st Place: Enriqueta Valdez-Curiel
- Honorable Mention: Melissa May

HIV/AIDS Education, Treatment, and Prevention
- Judges' Selection 1st Place: Emmanuel 'Dipo Otolorin
- Honorable Mention: Guillaume Bakadi

Family Planning and Reproductive Health
- Judges' Selection 1st Place: Ketan K. Joshi
- Honorable Mention: Papua New Guinea Family Health Association

Environment
- Judges' Selection 1st Place: Katie Richey
- Honorable Mention: John Robinette

Infectious Disease Prevention
- Judges' Selection 1st Place: Bernard Muthaka

Open Category
- Judges' Selection 1st Place: Enriqueta Valdez-Curiel
- Honorable Mention: Todd Shapera

Photoshare Image of the Year
Patrick Coleman

Outstanding Photoshare Contributor
Harvey Nelson

With representatives in more than 30 countries, Johns Hopkins' CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication programs for behavior change and health promotion that have helped transform the theory and practice of public health communication.