The search is on for photographs that best capture the spirit of the UK’s thriving social enterprise sector. Since 2009, the Social Vision photography competition has sought to find pictures that show the unique work of social enterprise and what it can achieve. Social enterprises are businesses with a social or environmental purpose – when they profit, society profits.

The Social Vision competition is run by Triodos Bank in partnership with Social Enterprise UK and Social Enterprise Live. Heats will be held in the nine English regions as well as in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The 13 winners of these heats will be announced in November on Social Enterprise Day and go into the UK final. A new People’s Vote Award has also been introduced, which will be decided by online public vote and not the judging panel. The overall winners will be announced at a special event in London later in the year.

The winning photographers will each be awarded a £500 cash prize by Triodos Bank, and the winning social enterprises will also receive a £500 cash prize, plus a year’s free membership to Social Enterprise UK, a one year subscription to Social Enterprise Live magazine and two tickets to Social Enterprise UK’s annual event in 2012.

Last year’s winning photograph was taken at England’s first community-owned farm, Fordhall Community Land Initiative. Founded by siblings Ben and Charlotte Hollins to save their father’s farm from private developers, the social enterprise now offers volunteering opportunities and educational visits to the local community.

Peter Holbrook, CEO of Social Enterprise UK, said: “The Social Vision photography competition is a fixture in our calendar and every year we discover new and flourishing social enterprises.  Awareness of the social enterprise movement has grown steadily in the last decade, but there’s still work to be done to help people understand that a successful social enterprise benefits society as a whole. Photographs can be a really illuminating way of telling that story.”

Charles Middleton, Managing Director of Triodos Bank, said: “We continue to be delighted not only with our involvement with this excellent competition, but also with the photographs it produces. They are nothing less than inspirational. I am really looking forward to seeing more pictures of this kind and quality because they have such huge motivational force.”

The competition opens today and runs until 31 October. Entries can be made via the Triodos website http://www.triodos.co.uk/en/about-triodos/all-events/social-vision-2011/.

Image by sanja gjenero