Photo submissions for the Photo Award 2025 are now open until 31 January 2025!
The EURORDIS Photo Award is an opportunity to visually express what it means to live with a rare disease and to share your story with the rare disease community and beyond.
The contest is open to all nationalities, ages and diseases. Every year hundreds of people from all around the world submit their photos, each reflecting the drive of people living with a rare disease worldwide.
Please be aware that all photo submissions must also be accompanied by signed copies of our Terms, Conditions and Intellectual Property Rights Regulations and our EURORDIS Consent Form. These can be uploaded via the submission form available via the button below, or downloaded, signed and returned to us at events@eurordis.org within one week of your photo submission. Please note that a EURORDIS Consent Form must be submitted for every person featuring in your photo.
From all who enter, five finalists will be chosen by the award-winning photographer Marcus Bleasdale.
Online voting – starting on 10 February 2025 – will determine the winners who will be announced on the night of the EURORDIS Black Pearl Awards, on 24 February 2025. The three finalists with the most votes will each receive a Prize.
Don’t hesitate to take a moment to discover below the top three finalists of last year’s contest. We also invite you to view the gallery of entries and immerse yourself in the compelling narratives each photograph unveils.
2024 PHOTO AWARD FINALISTS
Together strong
True colours are rare
Grow up with love
Together Strong
Rare disease represented: Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease
Country: Austria
Year: 2024
Description: Valentin selected this photo himself. He said: Hugs are the most important thing!
True colors are rare
Rare disease represented: Diffuse Capillary Malformation
Country: South Africa
Year: 2023
Description: Vascular Malformation
Grow up with love
Rare disease represented: Oculocutaneous albinism
Country: Turkey
Year: 2023
Description: Two sisters who were born with a diagnosis of albinism and their mother who raised them with love.
A mother who supports her daughters at every moment and strives for their happiness.
And I am the teacher of these two beautiful girls.
SHORTLISTING by Marcus Bleasdale
Marcus Bleasdale is a talented documentary photographer and photojournalist who has been dedicated to advocacy and human rights for over 15 years. His work on human rights and conflict during his role as a photographer at the National Geographic Magazine has helped educate and advise corporations and policymakers around the world. Marcus has also partnered with various international advocacy groups, including Human Rights Watch.
In 2002, his first book, ‘One Hundred Years of Darkness‘, was published, soon followed by “The Rape of a Nation” (2009) and “The Unravelling” (2015). Appearing in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Sunday Times Magazine and TIME Magazine to name a few, he has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the UNICEF Photographer of the Year Award (2004), the Anthropographia Award for Photography and Human Rights (2010), and the Amnesty International Award (2015).
ENTRIES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
Check out more inspiring photos from the last few years