Statistics2013 Photo Contest winners show off talent

Jeff Myers, ASA Public Relations Coordinator

The International Year of Statistics sponsored a photo contest for students in grades/years 7–12 to mark the end of the year-long celebration of statistical science.

The theme for the appropriately titled Statistics2013 Photo Contest was, “How statistics advances the well-being of people in your country or our global society.” Students responded by submitting photos that exhibit the impact of statistics.

The competition was a contest-within-a-contest in that three place-winners were selected from each continent (excluding Antarctica). Also, a best overall photo was selected from among the winning photos from each continent. That best photo received a prize of $800, while $700 in prizes—$350 for first place, $200 for second, and $150 for third—was awarded to the continent place-winners.

There were 136 submissions in total. Asia had the most with 70, followed by North America—40. South America had the fewest submissions (1). Because of the low number of submissions or the lack of a qualifying photo, the judging panel decided to not select winners from South America and Africa.

On the other four continents, the competition was neck-and-neck. Let’s take a look at the winners.

Asia

The large number of submissions from this continent contributed to making the top photo anybody’s for the taking until the last vote was counted. Here’s how the results ended up:

First Place: Albert Hans, Jakarta, Indonesia
Second Place: Amir Mohammad Rezaie, Dehloran, Iran
Third Place: Irshad Ahmed, Chennai, India

Hans’ first-place photo speaks to the importance of statistics in fighting poverty.

Australasia

Quality is the best descriptive for the images submitted by students from the Australian continent. Winners were:

First Place: Sarah Ross, Auckland, New Zealand
Second Place: Jhona Hidalgo, North Shore City, Australia
Third Place: Shirin Chen, Auckland, New Zealand

Ross’s winning photo conveys the importance of setting aside electronic gadgets and other modern distractions to become statistically literate.

Europe

A sports statistics image from this continent stood out to the judges as the top photo. The lucky winners were:

First Place: Vasilia Harpali, Athens, Greece
Second Place: Gocho Ganchev Kushev, Yambol, Bulgaria
Third Place: Jesus Gregorio de Gouveia Ribeiro, Ilha da Madeira, Portugal

Harpali’s image illustrates how statistical data in athletics help athletes train for better results.

North America

The winner of the North American continent delivered a striking image that illustrated the critical importance of cancer research. The winners were:

First Place: Shannon Hunt, Pembroke, North Carolina
Second Place: Dayana Jara, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Third Place: Alex Cowsert, Wichita Falls, Texas

The footwear in Hunt’s photo reminds us of the importance of statistics in research of cancer and other diseases.

Best Overall Photo

The best overall photo was the image submitted by Shannon Hunt of Purnell Swett High School. For her efforts, Hunt received a total of $1,150—$800 for winning the best overall photo and $350 for winning the North American continent.

Thank You

We congratulate all the winners and thank each of the students who participated. Each helped us close out the International Year of Statistics on a high note and amazed us with their statistical acumen and photography skills. And for that, they all are winners.

We also thank the four judges—MaryDorsey Wanless, Washburn University associate professor of photography; Ron Wasserstein, Statistics2013 Steering Committee member; Paulo Canos Rodrigues, a statistician from Brazil; and Megan Murphy, Amstat News editor—who selected the winners.

Visit The World of Statistics website to view the photos of all the place-winners.