Large retailer Topman, deodorant brand Lynx and Getty Images are some of the names that have announced their support for the CALM Photography Movement (TCPM), a charity project and competition created with the aim of promoting conversation about masculinity, mental health and self-expression through photography. TCPM was formed by Scott Shillum and Steve Wallington, who have both lost friends and relatives to suicide in the past, and created the project as a way of generating awareness and funding for mental health charity CALM.
With depression and suicide currently the single biggest cause of death for men in the UK under 45, CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) was established in 2006 as an attempt to understand and combat the underlying causes of this worrying statistic.
For the competition, amateur and professional photographers alike are invited to submit images which they believe shine a light on the limitations of traditional masculinity. Entries will be judged by a panel of professional photographers, including high-profile names like Rankin and Nick Knight, who will be looking for images which express what it is to be a modern man in today’s fast-changing world.
Those who wish to get involved have until Monday 17th April 2017 to submit their entries. The winning photographs will be on public display at Getty Images Gallery in Central London between Wednesday 10th May and Friday 19th May 2017, with key photographs used in print and social campaigns as well as being curated into a special catalogue available for purchase in support of CALM’s work preventing male suicide.
Visit www.calm.photography to learn more.