New charity the Citizen Journalism Educational Trust (CJET), which is supported by The-Latest.Com, has launched with its Big Picture street photography competition.
This exciting event has won backing from Time Out magazine and Olympus, who have donated a prize worth almost £300. Guardian News & Media donated an iconic image, taken by a citizen photographer, of Ian Tomlinson -- the innocent bystander killed by a police officer at the G20 protest of 2009.
The competition offers entrants from the UK and abroad the opportunity to win the brand new Olympus LS-20M pocket camcorder and the title of "CJET Street Photographer of the Year" by using their mobile phone to take a winning picture.
Judges are award-winning photographer Eamonn McCabe, former Picture Editor of The Guardian, renowned publisher Dr Margaret Busby OBE, a CJET Trustee, Martin Shaw, chair of the Trustees, Allyce Hibbert, Picture Editor of Time Out and Brian Usher, Picture Editor of The-Latest.Com.
Shaw said, "CJET recognizes that ordinary citizens not only consume news but make it too. Think of the image of innocent bystander Ian Tomlinson who was unlawfully killed at the G20 protest, the 7/7 terrorist attack and Asian tsunami photographs that have come from camera phones. We are doing the Big Picture competition to celebrate this important new citizen journalism."
CJET is a UK charity that inspires and encourages the personal development of disadvantaged young adults through journalism, writing, literacy, photography and video. It produces educational material that includes college standard online outreach materials and tutorials for contributors interested in a career in journalism, photography or broadcasting.
It also aims to assist the public to find a better connection with the sometimes mystifying world of media, journalism and current affairs that is so influential in all our lives.
The competition runs from June 1, 2011 to August 31, and the winner will be notified on October 3 2011.
Find out more on the Big Picture info page. We look forward to receiving your photos.
* Photo: courtesy of CJET and The-Latest.Com.