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Inclusion for a Shared Future

Photography Contest

A collection of winning photos
UNICEF/2022

About the photography contest

Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind. The commitment to realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is not only a matter of justice; it is an investment in a common future.

In March and April 2022, the UNICEF China Office organized a photography contest entitled “Inclusion for a Shared Future” to promote public awareness on inclusion and to amplify voices of children and youth to pursue a safe, equal, friendly, and inclusive school and community environment. This effort was in synergy with the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics’ Official Motto – “Together for a Shared Future” on jointly promoting an inclusive society for all.

We received around 1300 photos taken by nearly 600 children and youth from 28 out of 34 provincial-level divisions of China. Around 30% of participants are children/youth with disabilities. The award winning photos and the stories behind them will be used in various social media channels and offline exhibitions to further amplify the key messages on disability inclusion.

Judges

LIU Kun Inclusive Education Specialist, East China Normal University 

XU Shan Deputy Director, China Philantrophy Research Institute at the Beijing Normal University 

FENG Shanwei Researcher, China Disability Research Society, China Disabled Persons' Federation 

CAO Yiju Senior Director, Organizational Development, Special Olympics 

SHI Yu Project Manager, Handicap International 

REN Fanghui Chief Content Director, XUXUDUODUO 

LI Shenrui Child Protection Officer, UNICEF China 

YIN Jia Education Officer, UNICEF China 

Winning Photos (First Place)

INCLUSIVE CURLING – 2021 Shanghai

A student with disability squats on a dryland curling track to experience curling -- one of the Winter Olympics events, under the guidance of a teacher
CHEN Haowen (15 years-old) To welcome the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Shanghai Qizhi Special Education School held an unique cultural festival to let children with special needs to experience sporting events of Winter Olympic. The picture shows the children with disabilities and school teachers playing the floor curling together.

PUNCH LIKE ME – 2018 Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 

In the audience at the edge of the venue, a young man raised his hands and practiced punching in accordance with the movements of his companions.
WEN Wanzhi (23 years-old) In 2018, when I was visiting the Ocean Park in Nanjing, I saw a man was showing to a youth with disability how to take a punch. I was so moved by this moment that they are having fun in it, so I took this photo.

START OF A RACE – 2021 Zhongshan, Guangdong Province

On the sunny runway in the afternoon, students lined up and jumped out of the starting line
CAI Ruiqing (16 years-old) In the sports field of the Zhongshan Special Education School, students were ready for the race on the starting line. As soon as the whistle sounded, they rushed out like arrows from the strings.

MY FRIENDS – 2022 Changsha, Hunan Province

On the rubber mat on the badminton court in the stadium, three children lay on the ground with their hands on their cheeks.
CHEN Jinlin (12 years-old) In the sports field of the Changsha Special Education School, my friends are enjoying the moment in a PE class.

SOUND OF NATURE – 2022 Shaoyang, Hunan Province

In the sun-drenched woods, a little girl wrapped her arms tightly around the trunk of a tree, her face pressed against the trunk, her legs lifted together, and by holding the tree hanging in the air, the little girl's face showed a bright smile.
DAI Yang (21 years-old) A girl with hearing impairment is climbing a tree and feeling the breeze in woods. Nothing can stop her from “hearing” the sound of nature.

STRONGER TOGETHER – 2021 Zhengzhou, Henan Province

The teacher is on the left, the student is on the right, and the two have their backs to each other, both facing in the direction of the forward, and they hold a basketball together by their respective backs and transport them to the finish line.
HU Yanqing (24 years-old) On May 20, 2021, a team-building activity was underway in the playground of a primary school. A teacher and a student with disability cooperated with each other to carry the ball to the finish line.

A PAINTING OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION – 2021 Wuhan, Hubei Province

On the chalkboard there are four different snails drawn in chalk.
HUANG Siqi (24 years-old) After a paint class in an inclusive education school in Wuhan, there were 4 different drawings of snails painted by students. The one on the down left corner was painted by a child with autism and looks very different with others. But this painting indeed reflected the core value of inclusive education that respect the difference and enabling everyone.

FOLLOW ME AND SMILE HAPPILY – 2022 Changsha, Hunan Province

A little girl has a bright smile on the camera, and behind her are children who are playing and playing together. Each of the people in the photo pulls the corners of the previous person's clothes in turn, and they walk together on the road to the small vegetable garden on campus, lined with verdant trees and small vegetable fields
ZHOU Ziqi (9 years-old) In the Changsha Special Education School, students were heading to vegetable gardens. The girl with a smile often covers her little ears, bows her head, and gently shows shyness. However, she would always smile if I smiled at her.

CHILDREN FROM A SATELLITE CLASS – 2021 Ningbo, Zhejiang Province

On the playground on campus, children are doing sports, and in the middle of the picture is a little boy with glasses, a slightly taller girl, and another boy, running after a football together.
XIE Menglin (13 years-old) In Yuyao city Lizhou Primary School, besides the regular 36 classes, there is also a satellite class in which students are from Yuyao Special Education School. This photo shows a moment of students from the satellite class playing football with other students.

CHILDREN PLAYING GAMES – 2022 Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province

The main part of the photo is two children playing a game, one of whom is drawing a stone with his hand, and the other is grimacing with his small hand, showing a happy smile. Behind them, the other children also gathered in a pile of games, and the classroom was full of laughter. The floor of the classroom was blue, like the color of a clear sky.
YING Jie (23 years-old) In a kindergarten, a child with Down Syndrome is playing Rock Paper Scissors joyfully with another child. In the picture, two children with innocent smiles were enjoying this moment with each other. All children share the same joy from games, which does not differ by physical nor mental differences.

HAND IN HAND AND GROW TOGETHER – 2020 Changsha, Hunan Province

The school sports field is paved side by side with two rows of colorful plastic rings, the diameter of the plastic ring is slightly wider than the shoulder, and two children hold hands and step on the open space in the plastic ring, jumping forward.
LIU Qiutao (24 years-old) A child from an ordinary school and a child from a special education school held hands and played together, with smiles on everyone’s faces. I hope every child can live in such an inclusive and friendly environment in the near future.