Winning Photographers Bring Hope for a Healthy World

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. and CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new photo exhibit raising awareness of prominent global health topics debuts at the annual LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, VA. The BD Hope for a Healthy World photography competition offers photographers an opportunity to submit images on a wide variety of global health topics. The winners' work is part of the Hope for a Healthy World traveling photo gallery that will be on display at the LOOK3 Festival from June 9-11, 2011.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/bd/50624/

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110609/MM16034 )

"Statistics, no matter how alarming, may only come across as text on a page. There is no substitute for seeing a serious health problem first hand," said Gary Cohen, Executive Vice President, BD. "These photographers capture the reality of cholera, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, blindness and polio through evocative imagery and multimedia. BD and LOOK3 are helping to raise awareness of global health issues by bringing people one step closer to these experiences."

Since 2009, BD and LOOK3 have collaborated to raise awareness of global health issues through photography. BD sponsored James Nachtwey's "Struggle to Live" photo gallery in 2009 in the United States and again in 2011 abroad. Most recently, BD supported LOOKbetween where 90 photographers gathered to meet, view each other's work and share their visions for the future.

"At LOOK3, we recognize the power of photography in its ability to move people to take action on important issues," said Andrew Owen, Managing Director of LOOK3.  "Through this contest, we are not only raising awareness of serious global health crises, but we are also demonstrating to photographers how they can use their craft in meaningful, global ways."

With approximately 2,000 submissions, a panel of renowned photography judges selected the following winners:

• Mary F. Calvert, Best Global Health Story, Professional. Mary Calvert's photos bring attention to polio, a highly infectious virus that cripples children it does not kill.
• Rodrigo Alfaro, Best Global Health Story, Amateur. Rodrigo Alfaro's essay, "Death from Childbirth in Paraguay," focuses on unsafe delivery practices in that country, which has a high mortality rate in newborns and mothers.
• Carlos Cazalis, Best Global Health Image, Professional. Carlos Cazalis' images document Haiti's struggles, including its battle with cholera, a waterborne disease that spreads through water systems and rivers.
• Gerardo Sabado, Best Global Health Image, Amateur. Gerardo Sabado's work highlights multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a strain of TB for which first-line drugs used to treat patients are ineffective.
• Stefano de Luigi, Best Global Health Multimedia, Professional. Stefano de Luigi's multimedia project, "Blanco," emphasizes the importance of education, support and prevention (when possible) for blind people in developing countries.

Judges for the contest were:

• MaryAnne Golon - an independent photography editor and professional media consultant specializing in online media.  She was TIME magazine's director of photography until 2008.  
• Holly Stuart Hughes - editor in chief of Photo District News and PDNOnline, publications for the professional photographer.
• Scott Thode - editor of VII THE MAGAZINE and co-curator of LOOK3 Photo Festival in Charlottesville, VA. Previously, he served as the Deputy Picture Editor at FORTUNE magazine and a photojournalist.

BD's Hope for a Healthy World gallery will be unveiled at the annual LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph located at 105 S. First Street in Charlottesville, Virginia.

To learn more about the winners' photography and multimedia, please visit www.bd.com/photography.

To learn more about the annual LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph, please visit http://look3.org/.

About BD

BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 29,000 associates in more than 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.

About LOOK3

LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph is a celebration of photography, created by photographers, for those who share a passion for the still image. The Festival features exhibits and on-stage appearances of three "legacy" photographers, as well as many exhibitions, outdoor screenings, and projections over three days and nights. Historic downtown Charlottesville is transformed into a living image with photographs hanging in the trees, projected in storefront windows and on the sides of buildings, as well as in all the galleries.

Billed as "3 days of peace, love and photography," the Festival is designed to bring together the international photography community and create opportunities for attendees and artists to share images, ideas and to be inspired.

SOURCE BD