FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, December 16, 1999

Peace Corps Director Unveils Winners of Photo Contest

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 16, 1999—Acting Peace Corps Director Charles Baquet III today unveiled the seven winning photographs in the Peace Corps\' "Spirit of the 21st Century" photo contest for Peace Corps volunteers.
"This photo contest allowed us to highlight the work and experiences of Peace Corps volunteers in the field with an outstanding display of photos," said Baquet, who unveiled the winning photos at a ceremony this afternoon at Peace Corps headquarters. "I congratulate all the Peace Corps volunteers who entered the contest for their success in capturing the spirit of the Peace Corps experience as we prepare to enter the 21st century."
The top winning photograph was taken by Bruce Buchanan of Irrigon, Ore., an environmental education volunteer in Slovakia.
The winners of the two photo categories, "Volunteers in Their Communities" and "Culture," were, respectively, Michael Park of Bel Air, Md., a volunteer in Madagascar, and Timothy Foster of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., a volunteer in Bolivia.
Second and third place winners in both categories went to Amy Cohen of St. Louis, Mo., a volunteer in Papua New Guinea; Leanne Ovalles of Bristol, R.I., a volunteer in Turkmenistan; Gregory Harris of Dunwoody, Ga., a volunteer in Kenya; and Jeffery Jutte of Portland, Ore., a volunteer in Bolivia.
All 30 finalists, including the seven winning photographs, may be viewed at the Peace Corps Web site, http://www.peacecorps.gov/essays/contest.
In May, Peace Corps volunteers around the world were invited to submit photographs or slides depicting life and culture in their communities. The photographs were due to Peace Corps headquarters by Sept. 1. In all, nearly 300 photographs were submitted for the contest, with entries coming in from countries all over the world. Thirty finalists were chosen by a vote of staff members at Peace Corps headquarters this fall.
Former Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan, who initiated the photo contest, selected the seven winning photos.
Today, more than 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers serve in 78 countries around the world, working to fight hunger, prevent the spread of AIDS, protect the environment, teach children, promote health and nutrition, and start small businesses. Since 1961, more than 155,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.

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