Canon partners with Global Good Awards for third year to honor 2022 young changemakers
Canon Inc.
The third iteration of the Canon Young Champion of the Year category will be sponsored by Canon EMEA, the top image company in the world, at the Global Good Awards in 2022. Entry periods are now open and end on April 22, 2022.
For the third year running, Canon EMEA is sponsoring the Canon Young Champion of the Year Award as part of the wider Global Good Awards, a leading award programme for recognising both organisations and individuals who are making the world a more sustainable place. Applications for this year’s award are open until 22nd April, and will be reviewed by a panel of specialists including Ally Zlatar. Ally is a Diana Award winner, recognised for raising awareness of eating disorders, body dysmorphia and illness through the power of art.
The Canon Young Champion award launched in 2020. It shines a spotlight on young people’s advocacy around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, celebrating their successes and inspiring others around the world to take action on causes that matter to them. The awards are split into two categories, under 16s and under 21s, both of which are free to enter. Judges consider applications from individuals and from more than one candidate per entry, for example where groups or siblings have worked together to campaign for a good cause.
To date, the award has recognised incredible work across a wide range of issues, including gender equality, access to education, recycling and animal conservation. Last year, siblings Mishal and Mir won the under 16s category. They were recognised for their campaigning efforts to address inequality, recycling and food waste, including setting up their own charity. They have since continued their campaigning and were recently interviewed at Expo 2020 Dubai, where they spoke about how their award win has helped them to continue driving change.
The under 21s winner, Samuel, took the Canon Champion title for his work raising awareness of the challenges young people face in accessing education in his local community, through the Students of Ibadan project.
“It's so important for us to have every child in rural areas enrolled in school,” said Samuel.
“As we look to the future, we need to ensure that children are protected and have all the tools to reach their full potential. By 2055, Africa will have the largest child population of any continent, so to me it has been important to continue using visual storytelling to continue to support the young people where I live in the rural area of Ibadan, Nigeria.”
“Celebrating and empowering the next generation of change makers is incredibly important for creating a sustainable future, and something Canon has done ever since the launch of our Young People Programme in 2015,”
said Adam Pensotti, Head of the Young People Programme, Canon EMEA.
“The Canon Young Champion of the Year award has been an incredible extension of this work, uncovering numerous stories of real change, and I look forward to being both inspired and educated by this year’s entries.”
All shortlisted finalists will receive four virtual tickets to the 2022 ceremony if outside the UK or two tickets to the physical event in London. Every finalist will be rewarded with a Canon Zoemini Portable Colour Photo Printer, while the two overall winners will each receive a Canon EOS 250D DSLR camera, or equivalent.
Are you, or someone you know, under 21 and campaigning to make the world a more sustainable place?
Entrants may submit an entry for themselves if they are over 18, or alternatively they can be nominated by a parent, guardian, company, or the charity or organisation which they are working with. Please note that previous participants in Canon’s youth programmes or relatives of Canon employees are unable to enter. For full details of entry criteria and for more information please visit the Global Good Awards website.
Applicants are invited to submit 1,000 words and up to six captioned images to tell the story of the positive change they’ve been working towards. Using the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as a guide, entries can focus on any form of social and environmental sustainability activism, from local community initiatives right up to international projects.
Source: Canon press release
