An exceptional photo of the Namib Sand Sea presented by Mrinal Mohit won the first prize in the photo contest organized on Instagram by the World Heritage Centre (WHC) and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) on the occasion of the third edition of the African World Heritage Day (5 May). The contest closed on Monday 30 April 2018 after three weeks of competition, and with the submission of nearly 1700 photographs expressing the richness and diversity of the African cultural and natural heritage.

A jury evaluated and selected the photographs of the candidates according to their creativity and content. The photographs selected are:

  1. Namib Sand Sea, Namibia by Mrinal Mohit (@Wowitsmrinal, India). He won a trip for two to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park.
  2. Stone Town of Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania by Machano Ashraki Mussa (@Ash_gallery17, United Republic of Tanzania) who won a stay for two to explore Robben Island.
  3. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda by Rogers Etimu (@Etimurogers, Uganda) who won a stay in Cidade Velha, Historic centre of Ribeira Grande.

 The other selected photographs are:

  1. Namib Sand Sea, Namibia by Awi Rabelista (@Awi.rabelista)
  2. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, United Republic of Tanzania by Reginald Victor Runyoro (@Rothsteinreggie)
  3. Lake Malawi National Park, Malawi by @Mazmcd
  4. Fort Jesus, Mombassa, Kenya by Sunday Memba (@Sundaymemba)
  5. Cidade Velha, Historic Center of Ribeira Grande, Cabo Verde by Anildio Miguel (@Anildio_Miguel)
  6. Historic Centre of Agadez, Niger by Najma Ahmed Hussein (@Nahmedhussein)
  7. Island of Saint-Louis, Senegal par Binta Zahra Diop (@Bintazd)

The selected photographs will be published on the website of the WHC, the AWHF and their partners.

A symbolic awards ceremony will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 23 May at 5 pm at the occasion of the celebration of African Week (23-25 May 2018).

The World Heritage Centre takes this opportunity to thank the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authorities, the Robben Island Museum, the Instituto do Património Cultural, the Town Halls of Albi and Abomey and the AWHF for their support. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Visiter l’Afrique for its wide dissemination and promotion of the competition as well as for its support for African World Heritage Day.