JETAA Charity Photo Competition Winners Announced

JETAA Photo Competition Winners Announced 

It's the moment all our entrants have been waiting for. After an extremely difficult process of choosing from 25 excellent entries, our judges have made their decision. It was fantastic to see the artistic talent and creativity present in the JET Alumni community. Many, many thanks to all those who submitted images, those who donated to the fundraiser and our fabulous judges from Ashinaga and JETAA UK. We are supporting Ashinaga, the educational charity for young people who have lost one or both parents in Japan and Sub-Saharan Africa. Our fundraiser is still open and we are gratefully accepting donations here. I would also like to thank the Japan Centre, JETAA Scotland and Ashinaga for providing the prizes.
 
So without further ado, our prize-winners are:

1st Place (£25 Japan Centre Voucher): Andréanne Chagnon; the winning picture is at the head of this page.
 Andréanne was a JET in Yamagata from 2017 to 2019, and her photo was taken there. Her caption from the image is as follows:

Sunset on top of Mount Asahi

One last glorious hike before leaving Yamagata, the mountain-shaped prefecture. After a long day of walking in the sweltering summer heat, my friends and I reached the mountain hut which sits near the summit. We went out to admire the sunset and later stargaze. A short night later, we were up and out to witness the sunrise before making our way down the mountain. An unforgettable way to pay our respects to the prefecture that we got to call home.

2nd Place ( Bundle of Japan Themed Art Goodies ): Sebastian Fagan.
Sebastian was a JET in Yosano, Kyoto Prefecture from 2017 to 2019.

Drying Rice

I was cycling home from work when I spotted a farmer drying his newly-cut rice in the sun. Though I found living in the countryside hard to adjust to at first, I came to appreciate the bucolic Japan few people get to experience, with its seasonal rhythms and changing landscapes. And I admired the people, such as this farmer, who worked to preserve the old traditions and live in tandem with the land.

3rd Place (Book of Poems from Ashinaga) David Pryce. 
David was based on Iki Island, Nagasaki Prefecture from 1997 to 2000.

Again I am immensely grateful to everyone who contributed to this highly successful venture which has made my lockdown much more bearable. I hope you all stay safe and have a wonderful summer.

Many kind regards,
Caroline 

JETAA North West Vice Chair