(Witthaya lOvE / Shutterstock.com)
Envision Kindness, a non-profit organization with a mission to promote and inspire kindness in the pursuit of a happier and healthier world, fulfills its vision by promoting positivity, empathy, and kindness by creating and sharing positive images and stories online.
The organization is run by a father and son team who believe that people see much too much negativity every day. To counter that, they believe that the world's attention should be on the positive events that occur every day, "there is so much good in the world, and we can all benefit from it."
To aid in this mission, Envision Kindness is holding its second annual photo contest –2018 Our World is Kind: A global Photography Contest – for images that exemplify kindness. These types of images promote positive emotions in viewers. According to Psychology Today, "Positive emotions help us build physical, psychological, and social resources. Those who experience more positive emotions have lower blood pressure, fewer colds and better sleep. They are more optimistic, resilient and more accepting. They also have stronger and more satisfying relationships."
But, what does kindness look like and how can it be captured in a photograph? In an aim to make kindness more tangible, Envision Kindness gives three categories of photos that embody kindness. The photos can be of kind people: individuals who are lending a hand, helping others, sharing, or can even just be a smile. The photos can be of kindness in nature: of animals, protecting the environment, or some aspect in nature like a heart-shaped leaf. The photos can also show kindness in the community: at work, in places of worship, nonprofits, and of public spaces.
Photo entries could be showcased on Envision Kindness' site and distributed to its networks to gain exposure for the photographers. There are also cash prizes: winners of first place and public choice both get $500 and three honorable mention photos will each $100 win.
Finalists are chosen through online voting or by Envision Kindness staff. Judges will choose the winning photos from the group of finalists. Entries will be accepted through World Kindness Day on November 13 and the winners will be announced in December 2018.
Last year's contest received 1,500 submissions from over 650 photographers located in over 80 countries. The winning photos truly portray aspects of kindness.
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