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Winners of the 2011 People Powered Movement Photo Contest

Itir Sonuparlak — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:51 +0000

Photo by E01.

In October we wrote about a bicycle and walking photography competition, hosted by the Alliance for Biking & Walking. The results are in! The overall winner, who will receive a 10-day biking trip in Tuscany, is Rachel Schell with her photograph, titled, “Flying.” The second place winner is Liv Ames for “Vancouver Foot Traffic,” and the third place winner is Russell Roca with “Biking Family.”

Besides the overall winners, the photo contest had seven other categories, with first, second and third place winners in each one:

Advocates in Action
Biking
Diversity and Building an Inclusive Movement
Biking and Walking
Open Streets
Women
Walking

Momentum Magazine, an independent media company that promotes smart living by bike, will publish some of the winning photographs in order to expose them to a larger audience and hopefully inspire others to take up more sustainable modes of transportation.

“The best and most captivating way to encourage biking and walking is to see others doing it, so the second best way is to see this in photos,” said Mia Kohout, publisher of Momentum magazine. “We are excited to have the opportunity to publish such outstanding works, and we’d like to extend a special congratulations to the winners!”

Have you seen all the winning photographs, yet? Find them at the Alliance for Biking and Walking. Let us know: Which ones are your favorites?

New Competition: Encouraging Youth to Rethink Public Transportation

Itir Sonuparlak — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:54:15 +0000

Youth for Public Transport (Y4PT) and the European Bus System of the Future (EBSF) are launching the caPTureldeo contest to help younger generations rethink public transportation. The contest also aims to give youth the opportunity to participate in the International Association of Public Transport’s (UITP) strategy to double the market share of public transportation by 2025 (2025=PTx2).

The first phase of the contest is the KalideoBUS photo competition. In order to join, participants are encouraged to take pictures of urban buses, add in a dose of creativity and send it in to info@ebsf.eu. There are no limitations as to where the pictures can be taken or who can join. The deadline for this phase of the competition is June 30, 2012. Winners will be awarded during the final EBSF event in 2012.

Click here to learn more about the technical specifications of the KalideoBUS photo contest.

Enter the People Powered Movement Photo Contest to Win a Free Trip to Italy!

Itir Sonuparlak — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:43:33 +0000

This is your chance to turn your best photos of biking and walking into the trip of a lifetime! Photo by Jiri Sibek.

The Alliance for Biking & Walking is hosting the 2011 People Powered Movement Photo Contest. The contest aims to both celebrate the beauty and energy of active transportation and continue to build an online library of high-quality images that can be used by bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations across North America. Your image must fit into one of seven categories outlined below:

Biking
Walking
Biking and Walking
Open Streets
Advocates in Action
Women
Diversity/Building an Inclusive Movement

Additional entrants in the Women, Diversity and Open Streets categories are particularly encouraged,

Individuals can submit up to 20 photo entries via the contest website until October 31. From November 1 to 30, public voting will determine the finalists in each category. A panel of expert and advocate judges from across the continent will then determine the winners, to be announced in March 2012.

Here is the best part: The overall grand prize is an all-expenses-paid biking or walking trip to Italy, from VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations. That’s 20 chances to ride your bike through the picturesque landscapes of Tuscany or walk along the shaded hillsides of the Amalfi Coast.

You can also win a new bicycle from PUBLIC Bikes; bags from Ortlieb; lights from Planet Bike; gear from Fyxation; helmets from Bern and more! Plus, all winning photos will be featured in a 2012 issue of Momentum magazine.

Stop what you’re doing right now and enter the photo contest by visiting PeoplePoweredMovement.org/PhotoContest.

Vote Now for Active Cities, Healthy Cities!

Erica Schlaikjer — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:16:10 +0000

A child enjoys a public square in Guadalajara, Mexico. Photo by Captain Victor.

Originally posted on EMBARQ.org:

A new online competition, Active Cities, Healthy Cities, was launched today to raise awareness of cities in Latin America and the Caribbean dedicated to sustainable transport, the environment, and creating a healthy lifestyle for their citizens. The contest is being led by EMBARQ (the producer of this blog), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We invite city officials to nominate projects that lead to safer streets, cleaner air, reduced carbon emissions, physically active citizens, and greater social inclusion,” said EMBARQ’s Latin America Strategic Director Luis Gutierrez. “This is a chance to show the world how mass transit, cycling, walking and vibrant public spaces can improve public health.”

The contest aims to raise awareness and engage urban communities, leaders and decision-makers about the impact of urban transport and development on public health. This year marks the fourth edition of the contest, which was created by PAHO and CDC in 2002. The contest has been supported by EMBARQ – The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport since 2007, with coordination by EMBARQ’s Center for Sustainable Transport in Mexico (CTS-México) and Center for Sustainable Transport in Brazil (CTS-Brasil).

“We are pleased to see the launch of Active Cities, Healthy Cities online,” said Dr. Becky Lankenau, Director of the CDC/World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Physical Activity and Health. “It is important to recognize innovative efforts by urban communities in urban transport and development.”

Any city official representing a municipality, local government or associated agency can sign up for an account on the tri-lingual website—displayed in English, Portuguese and Spanish—and nominate projects that relate to one of four main categories: 1) Sustainable Transport and Air Quality, 2) Public Space, Security and Civic Culture, 3) Physical Activity and Recreation, and 4) Road Safety. Users will have the chance to include written details about their project, plus upload related photos and videos.

Once a project is submitted, it will be open to online public voting, which will occur in three rounds, ending in August. Projects can be shared online through social media, including Facebook and Twitter. The projects that receive the most votes in each category at the end of each round will automatically be identified as finalists and reviewed by a panel of expert judges from the fields of urban and transport planning and public health.

“For the first time, we’re bringing this contest online to allow as many people as possible to participate,” said Enrique Jacoby, Regional Advisor on Healthy Eating and Active Living at PAHO. “We encourage everyone to vote for their favorite projects and share them with friends and fellow citizens, especially through social media. While viruses are usually dangerous in the public health community, we definitely want this contest to ‘go viral.’”

The four winners (one for each category) will be honored at an awards ceremony and be given opportunities to receive international media exposure, including a professionally produced video documentary about their project. The eight honorable mentions (two for each category) will also be exposed to international and local press, promoted on the Internet through online social media, and shared with other cities as a best practice of healthy, active living.

Winners will be announced on October 3-5 at the International Sustainable Transportation Congress, organized by EMBARQ’s Center for Sustainable Transport in Mexico (CTS-México) in Mexico City.

For more information, visit www.concursocacs.com, or follow the contest on Twitter: @concursocacs.

The World Resources Institute (www.wri.org) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives.

EMBARQ – The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport (www.embarq.org) catalyzes environmentally and financially sustainable transport solutions to improve quality of life in cities.

The Pan American Health Organization serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization. It works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their peoples.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the US’ premier public health agency. CDC’s Mission is to collaborate to create the expertise, information and tools that people and communities need to protect their health- through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats.

Call for Essays on Ways to Link Planning and "Climate-Proof" Sustainable Development

Jonna McKone — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:21:15 +0000

How can cities in North and South America employ urban planning practices to develop in sustainable ways? Photo by viajar24h.com.

The American Planning Association (APA) released a call for essays on the link between climate change and urban planning. APA leads an initiative of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, a set of projects designed to foster low-carbon economic growth and development. APA’s role is to mobilize support for urban planning (institutionally, technically and through policies and activities) to address climate change and energy consumption.

To support the ECPA urban planning capacity building intiative, APA is seeking essays that answer the following question:

“What are the largest barriers to implementing sustainable, climate-proof, energy efficient development across the America and the Caribbean, and how might the planning profession best respond to these challenges?”

The best essays, according to the press release, will draw upon case studies, best practices and innovative planning, and show a knowledge of urban planning issues in the Americas and the Carribean. Two selected essays will receive recognition at the National Planning Conference in Boston in April. The authors will receive complimentary registration to the conference and a $500 stipend.

The essays should be no more than 2,000 words. Applicants are open to students and professionals in the field for less than five years. Entrants must also be members of the ECPA Professional and Academic Urban Planning Network.

Essays are due on February 18, 2011. For more information, head to the ECPA website.

Call for Essays on Ways to Link Planning and “Climate-Proof” Sustainable Development

Jonna McKone — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:21:15 +0000

How can cities in North and South America employ urban planning practices to develop in sustainable ways? Photo by viajar24h.com.

To support the ECPA urban planning capacity building intiative, APA is seeking essays that answer the following question:

“What are the largest barriers to implementing sustainable, climate-proof, energy efficient development across the America and the Caribbean, and how might the planning profession best respond to these challenges?”

Essays are due on February 18, 2011. For more information, head to the ECPA website.