It is 50 years since the British Humanist Association (BHA) held a competition to design a new symbol that would encapsulate what it means to strive for a fulfilling existence in a world of our own making. The competition was won by Dennis Barrington, and his Happy Human icon is now recognised across the globe for its capacity to convey humanist values. It states with directness and simplicity that humanity’s agency is a gift, and the only licence needed to find joy in the one life we have.
Today, the BHA is launching a national photography competition as part of celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Happy Human. The theme is, quite simply, happiness. Since the symbol was designed half a century ago, far more people have embraced a humanist worldview and come to find great purpose in experiencing the world with only their fellow human beings and the natural world as their guide. Through creating their own meaning, humanists recognise that there are as many notions of what constitutes happiness as there are people, and the competition will reflect this by being open to people of all beliefs and including separate categories spanning from under-11s to professional photographers.
A distinguished panel of judges has been convened to oversee the competition, including Diane Smyth, the deputy editor of the British Journal of Photography and Colin Jacobson, founder of Reportage and who has worked as photo editor for The Economist, The Observer Magazine and The Independent Magazine.
Competition judge Robert Ashby said, ‘They say that nowadays everyone is a photographer; indeed 90 years ago Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, one of the great Hungarian photographers, presaged this eventuality when he said “The illiterate of the future will be a person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as the pen.” Our technology now enables everyone to instantly make and share photos of the things that make them happy – I want to see the best of these and celebrate all the positive aspects of the of what it means to be human in the world right now.’
Competition judge for the 12-16 year old category Michelle Sank said, ‘I am looking forward to seeing the images that these young people will submit around the theme of “Happiness” and to see work which reveals a sense of curiosity, imagination, feeling and experience in relation to interpreting this theme.’
BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said, ‘We are delighted to invite people to enter our Happiness Photography Competition. The theme of the competition is open to interpretation, and we look forward to seeing where it is our different entrants find their own sense of happiness. We hope that in doing so, they have the chance to show so many others that happiness can be found in the most varied of places, and demonstrate just how much joy there really is in the world around us when we pay it close enough attention.’
Commenting on the theme of the competition, BHA Head of Education Lisa Rønsholt said, ‘Most people want to live in a world where everyone lives cooperatively on the basis of shared human values and through positive interaction. Celebrating happiness and sharing what it means to us is one small way in which can help to promote mutual understanding and identify common ground amongst people of differing backgrounds.’
Notes
For further comment, detail or information, contact Lisa Rønsholt at lisa@humanists.uk or on 020 7324 3070.
For more information about the 2015 Happiness Photography Competition, please visit:
Who can enter the competition?
The competition is free to enter and is open to everyone in the UK and the Channel Islands. The competition has six categories:
- Ages 11 and under
- Ages 12-16
- Ages 17-18 (including college photography students)
- Over-18s (excluding university photography students and professional photographers)
- University photography students
- Professional photographers
Prizes
The winners of each category will receive an online photography store voucher worth about £300. All winners and runner ups will also have their photographs exhibited for one week at the Strand Gallery in central London in November 2015.
The judges
- Colin Jacobson, the founder and editor of Reportage
- Diane Smyth, the deputy editor of the British Journal of Photography
- Hugh Look, the chairman of the London Independent Photography organisation
- Michelle Sank, Photographer/Senior Lecturer in Photography at Falmouth University
- Robert Ashby, Chair of the BHA Board of Trustees
The exhibition
Date of exhibition: Wednesday 25 November – Monday 30 November 2015
Exhibition opening hours: 11:00 – 18:00 daily (free admission)
Venue: The Strand Gallery, 32 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6BP
Nearest stations: Charing Cross, Embankment
About the British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief. The BHA wants a world where everyone lives cooperatively on the basis of shared human values, respect for human rights, and concern for future generations.
About our work in education
The BHA’s education programme aims to introduce young people to Humanism as a non-religious approach to life which can be studied as an example a ‘non-religious worldview’. The programme offers teachers a number of easy to use online toolkits about Humanism and humanist perspectives on a range of issues and topics. We also provide free school speakers who can work with teachers to broaden students’ understanding of Humanism as a life stance and support teachers to plan lessons around Humanism. We encourage debate and support young people in forming their own opinions.
More information can be found on humanismforschools.org.uk
About the Happy Human symbol
The Happy Human is the international symbol of Humanism. It is used around the world in various forms and flavours by national and local humanist organisations and by the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
The original Happy Human (first known as the Happy Man) symbol was designed by Dennis Barrington and chosen following a competition organised by the British Humanist Association in 1965. The BHA used this symbol in its own logo for some years and encouraged use of the symbol around the world, either in its original form or tailored for individual organisations. In recent years the BHA itself has adopted a distinctive ‘Bendy Human’ logo for its own use.
More information can be found on https://humanists.uk/humanism/the-happy-human-symbol/