Commonwealth Press Union - Commonwealth Photographic Awards

Trinidadian wins top prize in Commonwealth Photographic Awards

Abigail Hadeed, a Trinidadian, has won first prize in the 2004 Commonwealth Photographic Awards, with her striking photograph of two young girls in Guyana.

She said when acknowledging her prize: "It is very difficult in developing countries to find support for on going bodies of work and this award will no doubt help me in my continuing efforts to document the changing face of the Caribbean and Latin American region."

The theme of the 2004 Awards is 'Youth' and the photographs were judged on both interpretation of the theme and technical quality.

Whilst Abigail Hadeed captured 'youthful innocence' that 'blinds them to the prejudices of polarised societies', the photograph taken by Johan Botha, Africa's regional winner, portrays a youth from a rural district of South Africa devastated by the AIDS Virus and is subtitled 'Hope still shines in the eyes of the youth'.

The Commonwealth Photographic Awards are an open competition for all Commonwealth residents, and include both colour and black and white photographs, from professionals and amateurs alike. They are organised by the Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) in collaboration with the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA).