December 3, 2007

Now that the Chachipe exhibition in Budapest has closed and the photos have been packed up for travel to other locations, the Open Society Institute and OSA Archivum would like to express their gratitude to all who have supported or taken part in this project.

From the beginning of 2007, the Chachipe contest organizers and others worked hard to pursue our goals of raising awareness, generating discussion and challenging stereotypical images of Roma.

The Chachipe Decade of Roma Inclusion Photo Contest grew out of an informal meeting of OSA and OSI staff members who wanted to organize an event that would help to better communicate the Decade’s objectives to the public and also leave behind some lasting product.

The extent to which we have succeeded is unclear. Judging by numbers—the quantity of photos submitted, the number of visitors to the website and exhibition—Chachipe has been a success. But it is difficult to judge the project’s impact: that is a job for critics, activists and the public itself.

As Hungarian minority ombudsman Erno Kallai said in his remarks at the exhibition opening, “If we start to think something different about Roma, then something of value will have begun.”

Hopefully, the contest and initial exhibition were only the beginning for Chachipe. We now are in the process of identifying other suitable venues for displaying the exhibition, both in the Decade countries and elsewhere. If you know of or represent an institution that might be interested in hosting the exhibition, please write to us at photo@romadecade.org.

Below are the winning photographs in each category, as selected by the Chachipe jury.
Due to tampering with the online voting system, a winner could not be determined in the Public's Favorite Photo category. A prize in this category will therefore not be awarded.