Celebrating the Winners of the APCA\TCT 2024 Photography Competition
Click here to view the competition gallery
With the generous support of the True Colours Trust (TCT), the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) successfully hosted a photography competition designed to showcase the essence of palliative care in Africa. This initiative empowered palliative care providers to share compelling visual narratives, illustrating the profound impact and cultural significance of palliative care in their local contexts.
The competition, which ran from July 2024 to November 2024, welcomed entries from East, West, North, and Southern Africa. Participants included palliative care organizations, individual practitioners, APCA small grant recipients, and APCA members. The objective was to highlight key themes such as compassionate and patient-centered care, caregiving moments, psychosocial support, advocacy, palliative care research, and community involvement.
A Diverse Pool of Participants
The competition drew submissions from 60 photographs representing 13 organizations across Africa, showcasing the depth and diversity of palliative care practices on the continent. Participating organizations included:
- Bulongwa Lutheran Hospital Palliative Care Department (Tanzania)
- Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa-Hospice Africa Uganda
- Little Hospice Hoima (Uganda)
- Hospice at Home (Eswatini)
- Josaab Foundation for Social Development-Hospice (Egypt)
- Lagos University Teaching Hospital Palliative Care Unit (Nigeria)
- Malindi General Hospital (Kenya)
- Mobile Hospice Mbarara (Uganda)
- Mvura Ya Upenhu Cuidados Paliativos (Mozambique)
- Organisation Jeunesse pour le Développement Communautaire (ORJEDEC) (Togo)
- Moses Ayul (South Sudan)
- Tygerberg Hospice and Palliative Care (South Africa)
- Volunteers for Palliative Care (VOPACA) (Cameroon)
Supporting Participation
Recognizing that some organizations faced resource limitations, APCA, with support from TCT, offered small grants to facilitate camera purchases. Out of 10 applicants, six organizations received funding:
- Kitovu Mobile (Uganda)
- Palliative Care Education Research Consortium
- ORJEDEC (Togo)
- Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa-Hospice Africa Uganda
- Ghana Palliative Care Association
- Ministry of Health Uganda-Palliative Care Unit
The Competition Process
The judging process was rigorous and conducted in three rounds:
- Initial Selection: Expert judges from the palliative care field independently reviewed the submissions and shortlisted their top 20 photos based on predefined criteria.
- Refinement: The top 20 photos were reviewed by judges who selected their top five images that best encapsulated the essence of palliative care. This process produced the top 14 entries.
- Final Round: A panel of professional photographers evaluated the top 14 photos, selecting and ranking their final top five.
A Tight Race to the Top
The judges frequently praised the exceptional talent displayed in the competition, often remarking on the difficulty of narrowing down the selections. "This was a very tight contest," one judge noted, emphasizing the high quality of submissions.
On January 14, 2025, the top five winners were announced and awarded prizes in recognition of their exceptional work.
Gratitude and Congratulations
APCA extends heartfelt gratitude to all participants, our panel of expert judges, and the entire team that made this competition a success. Congratulations to the winners for their outstanding contributions, and to those whose photos were not selected—thank you for sharing your vision and dedication to palliative care. We encourage you to participate in future competitions.
Together, we continue to celebrate and advocate for the transformative impact of palliative care across Africa.
