COMPETITION JUDGES SO FAR
Collective Lens promotes social change with your photos. Registered individuals can upload their their photos and help bring awareness to important issues around the world. The inspiring photos on their site highlight all aspects of life. Collective Lens also incorporates a growing list of organisations who wish to connect with groups working to positively create change around the globe.
Isabel Losada
Author of Reasons to be Glad, Battersea Park Road to Enlightenment, A Beginners Guide to Changing the World and Men. Isabel's book Reasons to be Glad has been a great inspiration for this competition!
"Isabel is a star. And she always has been."
Liz Calder, Editor -
Bloomsbury Publishing.
Kate Bingaman-Burt
Kate Bingaman-Burt is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Mississippi State University. She also is the founding partner of the Public Design Center and is very well known for her daily purchase drawings which she posts on Obsessive Consumption.
Randy Hunt
Randy J. Hunt is founding partner of Citizen Scholar Inc., co-founder of Supercorp, and director of The Amazing Project. He was recently identified as one of the top 20 emerging design talents by STEP Inside Design Magazine.
Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin is an author who has been working on a new book called The Happiness Project. The project and the book which will follow in late 2009 will recount her adventures and insights into how people who can make themselves happier.
Alex Kjerulf
Alexander Kjerulf AKA Chief Happiness Officer is author of Happy Hour is 9 to 5 and a world expert on happiness at work. Alex has long known that happiness at work is the most important factor that contributes to good careers, happy lives and business success.
He is a speaker, consultant and author, presenting and conducting workshops on happiness at work at businesses and conferences all over the world.
Edward Monkton
Edward Monkton is a well known artist and poet loved by thousands in Britain.
Design 21 and UNESCO
Design 21's mission is to inspire social activism through design. They connect people who want to explore ways design can positively impact our many worlds, and who want to create change now.
D.R.E.A.M. Centers' mission is to bring art into the lives of underprivileged children who otherwise may not have opportunities to develop their talents and abilities, on the belief that creative expression empowers children.
Room 13
Room 13 is an art studio in Scotland completely managed by the school’s students. It is an amazing example of student creativity and engagement and has led to several other Room 13s opening throughout the world.
The photo competition in part is raising funds for Room 13.
“Room 13 is the most important model for artistic teaching in schools that we have in the UK" Nicholas Serota
Director, Tate Galleries
David Robinson
David Robinson OBE is the founder and chair of We Are What We Do, originator and joint author of the movement’s current best sellers “Change The World For A Fiver” and “Change the World 9 to 5”.
David is also founder of Community Links who work with 50,000 each year in East London. He also collaborated with Gordon Brown on the Prime Ministers new book “Britain’s Everyday Heroes” and is to lead the recently announced Prime Ministers Council on Social Action. He was recently named Morgan Stanley Great Briton 2006 for his contribution to public life.
Steve Stack
Steve is the author of 'It is just you, Everthing's not shit' which is a ‘Guide to all things nice’, published in September 2007 by The Friday Project.
As Steve says on his blog "Life is actually pretty great. It is full of things that inspire, fill you with wonder, or simply bring a smile to your face. What follows is a collection of people, places, experiences and, well, stuff that proves them wrong. So lighten up, stop moaning - life's not that bad."
Josh Freedman
Josh Freedman is Director of Programmes at 6 Seconds, one of the largest networks promoting emotional intelligence. Josh is author and co-author of several books about emotional intelligence and has inspired hundreds of people.
Tessy Britton
Director of Thriving, originators of the Glad Photo Competition.
Concepts
- The competition is aimed at promoting the concept of looking at our lives more positively and realistically.
- The idea of focusing on things that we think are wonderful in our lives naturally extends to the people who surround us . . . moving from seeing people negatively towards looking for and admiring people’s good qualities.
- This shift of attitude undoubtedly leads to feelings of contentment and happiness as our relationships strengthen and grow.
- Where do all the feelings of happiness and goodwill go? Studies show that people with strong support networks are more likely to support and volunteer to help others. . . . And often get involved positively in their communities, both locally and globally.
Competition Aims
- Inspire a shift towards more appreciative attitudes.
- Highlight several organisations and people concerned with promoting innovation in education, creativity and happiness.
- Create a website as an ongoing venue for sharing appreciation for life
- Inspire some fantastic photography
- Raise funds for particular projects namely, D.R.E.A.M (UNESCO), Room 13 and Thriving
A Competition looking for:
- Commercial Sponsor(s)
- Partnerships i.e. promotions, conference links, networks, endorsements
- A website designer
- A Publisher for book displaying the top rated 200 images
- International Exhibition Spaces
How it works
- Photos can be loaded onto the Glad website once the entrant has paid, which can then be voted on by the public.
- Final judging of the top ranking pictures to be decided by the official panel.
Judging Criteria
- Originality
- Beauty
- Creativity
- Happiness
Prize
- Money - Photo in Book - Prestige
Research
- A school study on introducing gratitude by Jeffrey Froh, an assistant professor at Hofstra University found:
- “By helping them [children] appreciate the daily gifts bestowed upon them—friends who offered emotional support, teachers who gave up their lunch period to provide extra help, staff who cleaned their hallways and lunch tables—I thought we might strengthen their feelings of closeness and commitment to each other, their teachers, and their entire school.
- The results were clear: Higher levels of optimism, increased life satisfaction, and decreased negative feelings were all associated with students’ expressions of gratitude.
- By the follow-up three weeks later, students who had been instructed to count their blessings showed more gratitude toward people who had helped them, which led to more gratitude in general.
