Citizens invited to contemplate the Baltic Sea through photos

Helsinki’s waste management organization HSY Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority has organized an open photo competition to mark the centennial of the protection of the Baltic Sea through wastewater treatment – Long live the sea! Metropolis and the sea.

HSY celebrates 100 years of clean water in the city this year: the city’s first wastewater treatment plant went into operation in 1910. In the past one hundred years, efforts to clean wastewaters have been expanded, and today the Viikinmäki plant in Helsinki treats the wastewaters of close to one million people at internationally very high levels of phosphorous and nitrogen removal.

To mark the anniversary, and subsequent achievements, HSY called the photo competition last summer. The contestants were encouraged to capture on photos and thereby make their statements about the maritime metropolis, which is largely defined by the surrounding sea. All citizens had the opportunity to express their impressions and thoughts about the Baltic Sea.

More than 500 photos were submitted to the contest. The theme encouraged professional and amateur photographers to capture tender moments on the sea, surprising situations, and iconic city scenes, producing novel and refreshing interpretations of familiar places and situations.

A selection of the best photos are on display at the Laituri information space and gallery of Helsinki City Planning Department, including prize winners and photos that the jury awarded with special recognition, as well as other memorable and touching shots.

Long live the sea! Gems from Metropolis and the Sea photo contest. On display at Laituri through October 30, 2010.