Giga photo
contest
Launched in 2019, Giga, a partnership between the UNICEF and ITU aims to connect every school in the world to the Internet.
Giga x Swiss Photomonth
Join us on 26 September for a panel discussion on " Ethical Visual Storytelling in the Age of Technology, Conflict and Child Rights” in Geneva.
Stay tuned for our 2026 edition, focusing on "The Urgency of Connectivity". Announcements in January 2026.
In April 2025, Giga launched its first global photo competition, inviting photographers to explore the human dimensions of internet connectivity.
The response was extraordinary: 3,420 submissions from 89 countries.
In partnership with the City of Geneva, the festival culminated in an open-air exhibition and awards ceremony held in June 2025, celebrating images that speak to connection, transformation, and access.
The response was extraordinary: 3,420 submissions from 89 countries.
In partnership with the City of Geneva, the festival culminated in an open-air exhibition and awards ceremony held in June 2025, celebrating images that speak to connection, transformation, and access.
Are you a photographer, curious about our visual school mapping?
Visualize number of schools we have mapped
Visualize number of schools we have mapped
catagories
Our contest featured three categories :
@UNICEF/Aleksey Filippov
01
Category
Single Image
A photograph that increases our understanding of daily life and significant moments showing the impact of internet connection.
02
Category
Junior Visual Storyteller
This category celebrates a child’s vision and photographic expression.
Open to junior visual storytellers (under 18), with adult assistance required.
@UNICEF/Jannatul Mawa
@UNICEF/Ashley Gilbertson
03
Category
Multiple Image
This category recognises a photographer’s story on connection through technology, science, health, news, or daily life.
Timeline
Submission to the contest :
1 - 30 April 2025
Judging in Geneva :
6 - 7 May 2025
in collaboration with HEAD-Genève
Award Ceremony and Outdoor Exhibition in Geneva :
June 2025
Awards
Awards range from Giga Photo fellowship, Mentorship Programmes, Portfolio Reviews, Plaques by Giga.
2025 Jury
Amanda Voisard
UNICEF HQ Senior Photo Editor
Amanda Voisard
UNICEF HQ Senior Photo Editor
Amanda Voisard is a visual journalist and producer with over twenty years of experience focusing on social-issue multimedia projects. She was a key member of The Washington Post team that earned the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, after which she joined the publication full time as the climate change photo assignment editor.
Danaé Panchaud
Director, Centre de la photographie Genève
Danaé Panchaud
Director, Centre de la photographie Genève
Danaé Panchaud is a Swiss exhibition curator, museologist and lecturer specialising in photography. She has been the director of the Centre de la photographie Genève since 2022, after serving from 2018 to 2021 as director of Photoforum Pasquart in Biel, Switzerland.
Fiona Wachera
Photo Editor and Educator at the Aga Khan University
Fiona Wachera
Photo Editor and Educator at the Aga Khan University
Fiona Wachera is a media strategist, photo editor and the Storytelling & Content Specialist at the Aga Khan University. Their work blends hands-on design for photo, art direction, and media project management, utilizing varied communication mediums, design disciplines, and research techniques.
Jessica Lim
Siem Reap, Cambodia, Director, Angkor Photo Festival and Workshops
Jessica Lim
Siem Reap, Cambodia, Director, Angkor Photo Festival and Workshops
Jessica Lim is the director of the Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops (APFW), a non-profit organization in Cambodia that supports visual media practitioners in Asia. With over 15 years of experience, she focuses on amplifying visual voices from the majority world.
Juan Manuel Fernandez
President ITU Photo Club
Juan Manuel Fernandez
President ITU Photo Club
Juan Manuel, born in 1981, is an Argentine native from Mendoza. He embarked on a military career at the Argentine Air Force Academy in 2000, becoming an officer in 2003. For 13 years, he served as a Helicopter Pilot and participated in UN Peacekeeping missions in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Paolo Pellegrin
Magnum Photographer
Paolo Pellegrin
Magnum Photographer
Paolo Pellegrin was born in Rome in 1964. He studied Architecture at L'Università La Sapienza before studying photography at l'Istituto Italiano di Fotografia, both in Rome.
He became a nominee of Magnum Photos in 2001 and a full member in 2005.
