UK Organization ‘Same But Different’ Announces ‘Glimmer of Hope’ Photo Contest Winner

A photo of a bespectacled young boy, his red baseball cap slightly askew as he  enjoys time outside, will be featured on the front cover of an upcoming calendar in the “Same But Different” contest to raise awareness about rare disorders.

“A Lovely Day Out in Kew Gardens,” the photograph by Clare Lawrence, was the winner of the Glimmer of Hope competition that garnered 3,000 votes from the public. In addition to having her submission featured on the calendar’s front cover, Lawrence will receive a Polaroid Snap camera.

Each of the 11 runner-up photos will represent a month in the calendar that also will feature more than 40 rare disease awareness days that take place throughout the year. To mark Rare Disease Day, taking place annually on the last day of February, the calendar will feature a compiled image of photo submissions in that month.

The calendar can be ordered for £11 (about $14) here. Proceeds will go to Same But Different’s Rare Navigator, a resource that offers information, emotional and practical support to patients with rare diseases and their families.

“What a response!” the organization declared on its webpage announcing the winner. “Thank you to every one of you for voting.”

A panel of Same But Different judges had whittled the number of contest entries to 24, from which to the public could vote. The photo competition was a way to visually express the hope that exists for individuals living with rare disorders.

The contest was open to everyone, apart from professional photographers, and allowed participants to submit as many photos as they wished until Sept. 22. The only requirements were that photos had high resolution, and were taken in a landscape mode suitable to be displayed on a calendar.

Images were judged for their composition, skill, originality, appeal, relevance, and suitability for inclusion. While participants retain rights over their images, Same But Different reserves the right to publish and exhibit their photos.

For the past two years, the organization has exhibited works in multiple locations, and presented images in several publications. Same But Different seeks to use art for positive social change by working with communities, organizations, and individuals to highlight inequalities and bring communities closer together.