Name Your Dream Assignment contest

A few weeks ago, I found out about the Name Your Dream Assignment contest that Lenovo and Microsoft are sponsoring. Basically, you get to come up with any photo assignment you'd love to do, and if you win the contest, Lenovo will give you $50,000 to "go anywhere and shoot anything", as well as a video camera and a new laptop computer.

So, in the vein of "why not?" (and considering that the contest is free to enter), I came up with my own assignment. I've become increasingly interested in photojournalism lately, as well as the media's role in today's fast-paced society, where each day brings a new sensationalized headline to replace yesterday's news.

So I wrote up an assignment centered around traveling to the countries hardest hit by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, in order to examine the adequecy of the relief and recovery efforts 5 years later. Ultimately, with this assignment, I'd like to not only bring people's focus back on the affected areas, but also highlight the need for follow-through in humanitarian efforts, even when the media loses interest. Because all too often, once people stop looking, the money stops flowing.

You can read more about my dream assignment here. To vote for it, click on the "Pic it" button.