2017’s photographs feature highlights from the past three years

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (March 2, 2017) — The Muhammad Ali Center’s annual international photography contest and exhibition, Shining a Light, opens on March 8^th, International Women’s Day. This year’s exhibition will be comprised of the “best of the best” from the previous three years: winners, honorable mentions, and curator choices, all of which reinforce equal rights around the world.

Informed by the United Nations Millennium Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, this year’s exhibition showcases individuals or organizations engaging in one or more of the following:

1. Education equality for women and girls
2. Women’s political participation
3. Ending violence against women and girls and/or gender-based violence
4. Ending economic and employment discrimination
5. Health equity for women and girls

Inspired by Muhammad Ali’s core principle of Respect, gender equity holds a place of importance in programming at the Muhammad Ali Center.  Beyond the fact that gender equality is a basic human right as defined by the United Nations, the empowerment of women is critical to the health, productivity, and happiness of our families and our communities, locally and globally.

Over the past three years, the annual competition has received 643 entries from 20 different countries.

Shining a Light will be on display at the Ali Center from March 8 to May 7, 2017. The exhibit is included in regular admission pricing.