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UP Day!

Celebrate United Planet (UP) Day 2008!

The Fall Equinox is the only time of the year when the middle of the Sun is positioned above and below the horizon - - shining on every location on Earth for an equal amount of time. This once a year occurrence represents United Planet's mission of fostering mutual understanding, improving the quality of life for everyone, and creating harmony amongst the people of the world. United Planet created UP Day to celebrate this special occasion. With this in mind, please help us celebrate UP Day 2008 by taking part in our UP Day Writing and Photography/Video contest!

Writing/Photo/Video Contest Criteria

This year UP will select two writing winners and two photography/video winners. Contestants should submit written pieces or photos/videos that demonstrate the promotion of cross-cultural understanding, friendship, and support for one another in their own community or abroad.

Submissions for the contest can include:

• Fiction
• Non-fiction
• Personal photos
• Documentary/raw footage video
• Any other piece inspired by past UP volunteer Quests, community service, travel experiences, or other personal interactions that deal with the subject of intercultural communication and friendship. 

***Take a look at our 2007 winners' entries below

Prizes

The two Grand Prize winners of the Writing and Photo/Video contest will each receive one FREE two-week volunteer Quest to any of our short-term locations around the world. The two individuals who win Honorable Mention will receive 50% off one two-week Quest to any of our Short-Term locations as well. Grand Prize and Honorable Mention submissions will be published on the UP website, eNewsletter, and YouTube page.

How to apply

It's easy! Click here to fill out our contest submission form and send your written piece, photo and/or video to marketing@unitedplanet.org. Please select your submission carefully as we can only allow one written piece, one photo, or one video per contestant to participate in the competition.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2008. Winners will be announced on UP Day - - September 22, 2008. United Planet reserves the right to use any submitted materials for promotional purposes. All originals will become the property of United Planet and will not be returned.

For more information about the UP Day contest, please email tracycurtin@unitedplanet.org.

 

2007 Contest winners

Photo Contest - Jennifer Olenik

Jennifer took these photos on her 4-week quest in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in June 2007.

"This photo was taken at our project in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A young boy hugs one of the United Planet volunteers who was doing home-based care visits to HIV positive patients. The kids greeted us with the warmest of welcomes each time we came. Their love for life made returning to our project the highlight of our UP quest."

 

 

 

 

"This photo was taken at our project in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. On one of the days, we gave balloons to each of the children during their morning break. In this photo, Godlove reaches for his balloon. Seeing the children get so excited about the balloons was the personal highlight of my UP Quest. Although we created quite a ruckus, the kids were so happy spending their break with us and the balloons."

 

 

 

 

Writing Contest - Bob Blackwell

"At seventy years of age I fell in love with writing poetry and it has brought a lot more meaning to my life, by enabling me to express my many thoughts and feelings for life and all its difficulties. I have travelled quite extensively to work and live in a number of countries of our world. I lived for two years in Iraq during the late fifties and was their when the King Feisal was overthrown. There was lots of poverty there then but now I would hate to see. My second poem "Memory" was while I was in Basra. I was born in the UK and have been living in South Africa (SA) since 1975 and once again have seen lots of changes this time for the better. SA is a far more honest place to live now, I have always tried to cultivate friendship with everyone and now in SA it has become a lot easier for me. We still have a long way to go however and so has our wonderful world."

Read Bob's poem "A Plea"

Read Bob's poem "Memory"

Honorable Mention Winners

It was very hard for the UP Team to choose between all the pictures we received. We have selected the following photos to receive an Honorable Mention and award these special winners with 20% off a 1 or 2 week Quest to any of our locations worldwide.

Pictures by Matt Omo, May 2007, Cai Cay, Peru. Engris, one of the children at the project in Cai Cay, Peru, just stuffed her mouth with a handful of maize.  She has twisted a jump rope around her wrist walking to the football field at the end of the village for Thursday sports day.  The crumbling adobe wall behind her illustrates the rugged environment in which she lives.  As she looks up with a mischievous smile and twinkle in her cartoon eyes, I wonder if she will remember me and the other volunteers after we leave?  Has my time here impacted her at all? What wondrous things will her life bring?  Will she choose to stay in Cai Cay or will she leave the small village?  Will she even have a choice?  What type of person will she grow into?  And who will she become?  As my mind wanders through the unanswerable questions locked behind the doors of time, I savor this moment captured in the photo.  A moment in which we share a smile and feeling that transcends language, age and culture.  A feeling that touches a place inside, where we know we are all one.  Before class Vanesa gives a mischievous smile washing her hands.  It was an everyday routine to set the bucket of water and soap out for the kids so they could wash the dust and dirt from their hands before entering the classroom.  The majority of the streets in Cai Cay were dirt and the homes made of adobe, which created a very dusty environment.  To help extend the longevity of the school materials it was important to have a quick wash before handling.  This became a sort of game for me since I would hold the towel and give them a rigorous shake and dry as they entered.  It was a great way to connect with them before class and rewarding as they skipped in with laughter.

Pictures by Chelsea Halperin, March 2007, South Africa During the spring semester in March 2007 I went to visit my sister while she was studying abroad in South Africa at Cape Town University. For her community service, she volunteered at the a Children's Home and I was lucky enough to spend a few days having fun with the children along with my sister!

Pictures by Jean de Dalmas , June 2007, Peru