1237 photos have been submitted for the Aurora Photo Competition from 48 countries including Armenia, Russia, United States, Argentina, Colombia, Thailand, Georgia and many others.

 

184 films from 27 countries have been submitted for the Aurora Short Film Competition. 

 

All photos and short films that meet the technical requirements of the competitions have been presented to the jury. The short film competition jury is chaired by the director Edgar Baghdasaryan, and the photo competition jury is chaired by the photographer John Stanmeyer.

 

The selected films and photos should express humanitarian ideas as well as the selection criteria of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity: courage, commitment and impact, according to the rules of two competitions.

 

The results of the Aurora Photo and Short Film Competitions will be announced in April, 2017. Aurora Humanitarian Initiative will award US$4000 to the director of the best film. Second and third places will receive US$2000 and US$1500 award respectively. The author of the best photo will be awarded US$2,500 prize. Second and third places will receive awards of US$1,500 and US$1,000 respectively. The awards will be presented to the winners in May during a special event. The best films and photos will be screened and exhibited during 2017 Aurora Prize Events. 

 

During the month between April 24 and May 28, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative will organize a global program of activities to profile the inspirational stories of the 2017 finalists, as well as broader humanitarian endeavors. The 2017 Aurora Prize finalists will be announced on April 24, 2017, the annual day of remembrance for victims of the Armenian Genocide.  One of these finalists will then be named as the 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate at a special ceremony on May 28, 2017, in Yerevan, Armenia.