The Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI) will collaborate with International Media Support (IMS) and a number of local cultural institutions in organizing the first Photo Marathon in Egypt. Inspired by the Danish Photo Marathon, the pilot event in Cairo will run for two phases of 6 and 12 hours on Saturday January 15, 2011.

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Background
The Photo Marathon is a one-day photography competition, organized by volunteers and photo enthusiasts and open for professionals and amateurs with an interest in photography, held across numerous world cities at various dates throughout the year. Participants are given the task to interpret a number of themes posed by the organizers, within a specific time frame.

Aim and Objective
The thematic focus of the premiere Cairo Photo Marathon will be on gender relations in the Egyptian metropolis. The organizers aim to create a platform by which an alternative- and novel approach, to engage public interest and debate on gender issues is raised in a gamesome, unconventional activity.

Themes
A group of 19 themes, developed by writer and comedian Motaz Attalla, have been selected and will remain confidential until the competition begins. Themes are in Arabic, and include interpretations and contextual elaborations in English.

Process, Anchor and Theme Collection Spots
Every four hours during the 12-hour marathon, contestants will return to the anchor spot or one of the theme collection spots where they are provided with four new themes (potential locations are Maadi and Heliopolis). At the end of the 12-hour marathon, contestants submit 12 consecutive photos reflective of the themes presented. Cairo Photo Marathon rules and regulations will be made available on the project webpage.

During the 6-hour marathon, participants will receive all 6 themes at the start of the race.

The anchor spot of the Photo Marathon will be the Townhouse Gallery, Downtown Cairo. The anchor spot will serve as a space for rest during the marathon in the city- an opportunity for discussions, searching for good motives, and for a chat with some of the many other participants. Cairo Photo Marathon organizers have agreed to explore collaboration with local bookstores as potential drop off spots. This allows accessibility to various districts within the city, and allows participants ample opportunity and exposure to different urban contexts to reflect and interpret the themes.

Selection Process and Exhibition
A jury consisting of three recognized photographers and cultural figures will select the winning images. The winners will be selected in accordance to the different themes that form the Photo Marathon. Confirmed jury members are photographer Maha Maamoun, and novelist Alaa Al Aswany. The winning photographs will receive prizes that include professional cameras, photography courses at the Contemporary Image Collective, and art books.

Awards and Prizes
A total number of 65 photographs will be exhibited according to the following sequence and awards at a subsequent exhibition to be held at CiC:

- 6 Hour Photo-Marathon commences at 10.00. Participants are handed 6 themes. At 16.00 they submit a sequence of 6 images reflective of their interpretation of the 6 themes presented. In this category there are 3 main winners. Total Number of photos exhibited: 18

- 12 Hour Photo-Marathon commences at 10.00. Participants are handed 4 themes. At 14.00 a further 4 themes are collected. This process occurs again at 18.00, and at 22.00 participants will submit a sequence of 12 images reflective of the 12 themes in total. Total Number of pictures exhibited: 36 (Top 3 winners) + 11 individual best images/themes = 47 images.

Management
The event will be organized by The Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI) and International Media Support (IMS), coordinated by Osama Dawod, in collaboration with the Danish Photo Marathon team, Townhouse Gallery and a number of local Egyptian institutions in Cairo. These Egyptian institutions will include a well-esteemed newspaper in which the winning pictures will be printed and published.

For additional information please do not hesitate to contact:
- Osama Dawod: [email protected]
- Muna Bur: [email protected]