Julie-Anne Davies’ winning photo

Julie-Anne Davies’ picture of a Ladakhi weaver won the professional award at this year’s International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) World Sight Day photo competition, while ‘Going to School’ by Saiful Islam took home the amateur award.

The winning professional image shows a Ladakhi elder from the high altitude Changthang Plateau of Tibet weaving a rug with wool from her Pashmina goats, aided by a new pair of glasses. “This image clearly shows the impact of good vision on personal and economic growth,” said Fatima Zehra, an IAPB 2022 Eye Health Hero and one of this year’s judges. “This picture has rightly captured the hope, joy and happiness of a woman who can see clearly.”

A panel of five independent judges selected the winners from more than 1,000 international entries. “We have been blown away by the calibre of submissions, which are nothing short of exceptional,” said IAPB’s Simon Darvill. “Since its inception in 2015, the competition has highlighted the importance of eye health, by shining a light on the social and economic impact of vision loss. This year the submissions achieved that and so much more. Choosing winners was not an easy task.”

The IAPB World Sight Day photo competition is supported by Bayer and formed part of the World Sight Day #LoveYourEyes campaign.