"In each face, a collective legacy" is the theme of the 5th edition of the photography contest by Somos! - Portuguese Language Communication Association (Somos - ACLP), to be launched next Monday.

This year's proposal goes, for the first time, to portrait photography, highlighting the "identity and cultural heritage" of the universe of countries or regions where Portuguese is spoken, Marta Pereira explained to Lusa.

"It's not just the portrait itself, we would like the photographs to go beyond the faces themselves and identify the elements that make up the Lusophone community", she said.

The organisation also challenges the contestants to highlight "the distinctive elements that go beyond geographical boundaries and are common and transversal to the entire Lusophone universe", reads a statement by Somos - ACLP.

"At the same time, the intergenerational elements, the cultural legacy, inherited and maintained by the Lusophone communities, captured in aspects of everyday life, traditions and customs, or even physical characteristics, should be reflected", the note states.

The contest is intended "for all citizens of the countries and regions of the Lusophone world or residents of Macau" with works produced in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste and Goa, Damão and Diu.

The three winning images will be awarded prizes in the amount of ten thousand patacas (1,143 euros), five thousand patacas (571 euros) and 3,500 patacas (400 euros), with honourable mentions also expected to be awarded.

The works will be evaluated by a jury of six photography professionals, chaired by the Portuguese photojournalist based in Macau Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro and also including Osvaldo Silva (Angola), Maria João Gala, António Azevedo (Portugal), Paulo Salgado (Brazil) and Alan Leon (Macau).

The images will be part of an exhibition by the association, in September, in Macau, curated by Francisco Ricarte, and will include other photographs selected by the jury "for their relevance or value to the theme of the photography contest and to the purpose of Somos - ACLP, to project the cultural dimension of the Lusophone world, as well as the role of Macau as a platform that unites China and the Portuguese-speaking countries/regions", according to the association.

To "mark the success" of the annual photography initiative, Somos - ACLP will also publish a photography catalogue with the best images of the last five years", the statement says.

Registration for the photography contest is free and can be done through the form available on the association's website (www.somosportugues.com) between May 20 and June 20.

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