“For a More-Than-Human World” Photo Contest: Honoring Climate Action and Indigenous Legacy

In the face of a global environmental crisis, the need to rethink our relationship with nature has never been more urgent. Inspired by this, we launched the For a More-Than-Human World photo contest, an initiative aimed at highlighting the cultural richness and profound knowledge of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon.

The contest seeks to showcase indigenous perspectives on the challenges climate change presents to our societies. The submitted photographs should capture climate action and provide an artistic and documentary lens on the conservation of socio-biodiversity and the transition to a sustainable socio-ecological future. We know that the solutions to these challenges require both technological innovation and the ancestral knowledge of the communities that have inhabited and protected these territories for centuries.

Celebrating Indigenous Vision

One of the priorities of this initiative is to foster the recognition of indigenous photographers, who can offer us a unique perspective on the interaction between humans and nature. At the same time, we aim to generate a broader reflection within Latin American society on the importance of understanding, valuing, and preserving the region’s biodiversity. The natural wealth of the Amazon is deeply connected with indigenous traditions and knowledge, which continue to be vital to the preservation of the planet.

Inspirations for Reflection

We are inspired by the words of indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa, who reminds us: “You see things, you dream, you know the xapiripë [spirits]. Shamans can cure the forest’s diseases.” Also, the philosopher and indigenous leader Ailton Krenak’s thought, “tread lightly on the earth,” reminds us of the urgent need to learn from both human and non-human teachings as a way to transform our relationship with planet Earth.

International Collaborations

This contest is the result of a collaboration between the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and the Euroclima program, supported by the European Union and the German Federal Government. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) are key entities in the project’s implementation. Additionally, we have the strategic support of the Goethe-Institut, which helps to bring visibility to this important initiative.

Join the Reflection

We invite you to follow the contest’s development through our blog and social media, where we will share updates, stories from participating photographers, and, finally, the winning images. Together, we can learn to see the world from a new perspective and contribute to preserving our planet, honoring both the ancestral knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and the actions needed to confront climate change.