The Global Heat Health Information Network, in partnership with Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN), is launching a global photography competition to showcase the real impacts of extreme heat, and the ways communities around the world are responding to it.
Heat is a silent killer, and it remains largely invisible and misunderstood. Our Network invites photographers and visual storytellers from around the world to help us change that.
This competition seeks original, compelling photographs that capture the human, environmental, and infrastructural impacts of extreme heat, as well as the creative strategies communities are using to stay safe and resilient.
Categories
What We’re Looking For
We want powerful images that make the invisible visible. Show us what heat looks like where you live. How is it shaping your city, your health, your work, your community, or the natural world around you?
Submissions must fit one of the following categories. There will be an overall winner, and a winner for each category.
1. Heat Impacts on Human Health
Examples:
- A construction worker wiping sweat from their brow, wearing sun-protective gear.
- An elderly person sitting indoors beside a fan or cooling cloth, with indirect light showing heat outside.
- A transit rider shading themselves under a tree or covering their head with clothing.
- A community health worker distributing water bottles during a heatwave.
- Tip: Avoid photographing vulnerable individuals (e.g., people in distress or unsheltered) without explicit consent.
2. Heat Impacts on Infrastructure & the Economy
Examples:
- Asphalt melting or buckling, with visual distortion from heat shimmer.
- A closed sign on a shop window due to AC failure or reduced hours.
- Overworked HVAC or cooling units dripping condensation on apartment buildings.
- City workers applying tar on roads in full sun, with visible heat haze.
- A traffic light or railway service disruption due to heatwave (use signage or screens to illustrate this).
3. Heat Impacts on the Environment & Animals
Examples:
- A bird with wings spread for cooling in the shade or panting.
- A dry, cracked patch of soil near a typically green area or stream bed.
- Heat-stressed animals (dog lying on cool tile, cat seeking shade, etc.) — only in humane, non-distressful moments.
- Trees with scorched or curled leaves due to extreme heat.
- Wilting or sun-scorched crops in a farm or garden.
4. Heat Resilience Strategies
Examples:
- A rooftop or community garden with shade cloth or reflective surfaces.
- A public cooling center with people gathering inside.
- Children playing in misting stations or under shade sails.
- A volunteer refilling a public water station or handing out hats.
Need Inspiration?
Ask yourself:
- What does extreme heat feel like in your world?
- Who is most at risk?
- What’s being done to protect people, infrastructure, animals, or nature?
- How can a photo spark empathy or action?
Whether it’s an overheated construction site, a city without shade, animals coping with scorching temperatures, or innovative cooling measures that are making a difference—your perspective matters.
Explore our website for resources, heat stories, and inspiration.
Recognition & Prizes
While organization rules prohibit monetary prizes, we are offering educational, networking and publication opportunities to contest winners and finalists, who will have their work reach real decision-makers working to address the rising risks of heat to our health. The overall winner and winners for each category will receive:
Winners will receive:
- Photojournalism masterclass: Contest winners will be invited to a virtual Photojournalism Masterclass with Nicola Vigilanti, a Lyon-based documentary photographer with over 20 years of experience. Blending practical skills with a thoughtful, ethical perspective on capturing human stories, participants will dive into the craft and ethics of documentary photography, covering storytelling, aesthetics, technique, editing, and caption writing in the session. Nicola will introduce his intentional approach to visual storytelling: one that sharpens observation, strengthens narrative structure, and develops a critical eye for building a photographic series or portfolio.
- Internews’ Earth Journalism Network feature: Finalists will have their images featured in a photo essay on heat risk and action around the world, to be produced by GHHIN in partnership with EJN.
- Digital exhibit: Your photo and information will be included in a digital exhibit to be displayed at various UN climate and health conferences.
- Certificate: A personalized certificate of recognition from the Global Heat Health Information Network
- Online promotion: You will be credited for your work in features on www.ghhin.org and Network social media, with possible placement on global UN, health, and climate communications channels.
All participants will retain credit and copyright to their work, and winning entries may be featured (with full attribution) in awareness campaigns and outreach products across the GHHIN global network.
Judging Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated on:
- Message clarity (25%)
- Creativity & originality (25%)
- Aesthetics & composition (25%)
- Overall impact & potential to raise awareness (25%)
A diverse panel of global experts in climate, health, and communications will review entries.