24-Year Old Russian Man Wins UNESCO Contest on Cultural Diversity

OUR PLACE remains true to its mission of supporting initiatives communicating to diverse audiences the world's Cultural and Environmental heritage and diversity through the power of images. Its recent project with UNESCO highlights the impact of original visual content in promoting cultural understanding.

The international jury for the UNESCO video contest, "My Declaration", has awarded the first prize to Mr. Evgeny Tarasov, a 24-year old Russian student, for his video "Around the world in one day".                                              Evgeny Tarasov, Winner

The members of the jury cited the video's "simplicity and humor, as well as its ironical but smart interpretation of the theme", and its "rhythm", in making their decision.

A "Special Public Mention" for the video that earned the highest number of  on line votes went to 21 year-old Mr. Jorge Sistos Moreno from Mexico for his video "Diversity is the other".

The two videos (number 34 and number 28) can be viewed here.

The "My Declaration" competition, open to budding filmmakers aged 18 to 24, was launched by UNESCO in September 2011 to educate young people on the principles of cultural diversity as part of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

The contestants were asked to produce a film showcasing their personal vision of the meaning and future of cultural diversity. All styles and genres were accepted, but videos could not be subtitled or dubbed: verbal communication was not to be an essential factor to understanding.

By mobilizing the network of UNESCO Associated Schools, over 30,000 young people viewed the videos and nearly 1,000 participated in online voting. Five finalists were selected based on voting results, and an international jury selected the winner.

The lucky winner will receive a Panasonic camera that has been donated by "OUR PLACE" World Heritage, the UNESCO partnered organization that is photographically documenting and promoting the sites on the UNESCO WH list. Visit to view the hundreds of photos in their WH site galleries. OUR PLACE believes that quality photography is a great tool for world heritage preservation and protection.

More information on the "My Declaration" competition website.