[caption id="attachment_13754" align="aligncenter" width="576" caption="Manolis Emmanouil Metzakis (Greece) - Bronze FIAP Medal for image of Lijiang, China"][/caption]

The Barcelona-based UGT union's photography competition on the theme of 'Work and Professions'  has run for 25 years. This year's winners include photographers from Spain, Vietnam, India, Italy, Finland, Greece and Australia.

This was the first international edition of the 'El Trabajo y los Oficios' contest and 1613 photos were submitted by 245 authors from 48 countries. The UGT, Union Intercomarcal Anoia, Alt Penedès and Garraf, awarded the prizes  for the prestigious contest in July  2011 at the Caixaforum of Barcelona and works are exhibited through 2011 in Catalonia. The competition is organised under the patronage of the  Federation of International Art Photography (FIAP).

http://vimeo.com/26367975

Winners from Asia:

• Le Chau Dao (Viet Nam) - Bronze FIAP Medal


• SON HO NGOC (Viet Nam) - FIAP Distinction


• SUDIP ROYCHOUDHURY (India) - FIAP Distinction


• SUDIP ROYCHOUDHURY (India) - FIAP Distinction


• Ellen Yuen (Australia) - FIAP Distinction

Check out the website galleries for more powerful images of workers and the working environment around the world.

The motivation of the UGT union in setting up the contest was a desire to leave behind the radical stereotypes of labour unions and to offer a different, historical vision of the labour world. This same motivation has moved them to expand it year after year, creating in 2011 the first international competition.