Every Breath Has a Story: A Global Photo Call for Clean Air

We Invite the World to Show What Air Pollution Feels Like

Air pollution is often invisible, but its impacts are deeply personal. In 2023, exposure to air pollution worldwide resulted in an estimated 7.9 million deaths, and millions of healthy years of life lost. It affects how we breathe, how we live, how we feel, our ability to earn a living, and how we imagine the future.

Every Breath Has a Story is a global call for powerful photographs and personal reflections that reveal the human reality of air pollution: its sources, its consequences, and the hope found in action and cleaner air solutions.

We are especially proud to launch the first chapter of this campaign at the Africa Clean Air Forum 2026, spotlighting stories and images from across Africa. Selected works will also be featured globally for the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on 7 September 2026, together with the State of Global Air.

Whether you are a professional photographer, student, activist, journalist, or someone who captured a meaningful moment on your phone, we want to see the world through your eyes.

What We’re Looking For

We welcome submissions that capture one or more of the following:

• Air Pollution Sources: Traffic, smoke, waste burning, cooking fuels, generators, industry, dust, agriculture, open burning, or other unique sources.
• Human Experience: How polluted air affects daily life, movement, work, family life, schools, and wellbeing.
• Health Impacts: Children, elders, vulnerable communities, hospitals, respiratory challenges (e.g., use of inhalers).
• Environment & Landscapes: Haze, reduced visibility, urban congestion, damaged ecosystems.
• Solutions & Hope: Clean transport, renewable energy, cleaner cooking, greener streets, community action, policy progress.
• Emotion & Resilience: Strength, frustration, grief, determination, joy, hope.

Eligibility

Submissions are welcome from amateur and professional photographers.

Please note that we reserve the right to select the photos and not all submissions may be selected. Authors will receive credit for their photos.

Requirements

• File format: JPG or PNG
• Minimum size: 800 x 800 pixels
• High-resolution preferred
• Maximum 5 images per person
• Original work only
• Basic edits permitted

What’s in it for you?

Selected entries will be featured in a clean air campaign during the Clean Air Day (September 7).
Selected entries will also be featured in global reports on air quality published by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and State of Global Air (SoGA).
Selected entries from Africa will be featured in a photo exhibition in Pretoria, South Africa in July 2026.
All selected contributors will receive full credit.

Submission process:

Submissions are due on Friday, June 26, 2026.

Submit your photos here

For any queries, please email: contactsoga [at] healtheffects.org (contactsoga[at]healtheffects[dot]org)

Terms and Conditions:

By submitting an entry to Every Breath Has a Story, participants agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. Ownership and Originality

Participants confirm that they are the creator and copyright owner of the submitted image(s), or have full authority to submit them. Entries must be original works and must not infringe the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any third party.

2. Consent of Persons Featured

If any recognizable person appears in a submitted image, the participant confirms that appropriate consent has been obtained for the image to be submitted and used for campaign purposes. Where a minor is featured, consent must be obtained from a parent or legal guardian.

3. License to Use Submitted Images

Participants retain copyright of their images. By submitting an entry, participants grant Climate and Clean Air Coalition, State of Global Air, and Africa Clean Air Network a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use selected images for non-commercial purposes related to clean air awareness, including:

• Campaign communications
• Social media and digital platforms
• Websites
• Reports and publications
• Exhibitions and public displays
• Educational and advocacy materials
• Event promotion and documentation

4. Photographer Credit

Organizers will credit photographers whenever their images are used.

5. No Compensation

Submission of an entry does not guarantee selection, publication, exhibition, or compensation. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, no payment will be provided for use of submitted images.

6. Editing and Formatting

Organizers may crop, resize, adjust formatting, or translate captions for publication purposes, while preserving the integrity of the original image.

7. Ineligible Content

Organizers reserve the right to reject, remove, or disqualify any submission that is unlawful, misleading, plagiarized, defamatory, discriminatory, exploitative, unsafe, offensive, or unrelated to the campaign theme.

8. Authenticity of Images

Submitted images must be genuine photographs. AI-generated images or materially altered synthetic images are not eligible.

9. Privacy and Personal Data

Personal information provided through the submission process will be used only for administration of the photo call, communication with participants, attribution, and related campaign activities, in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

10. Liability

Organizers are not responsible for incomplete, lost, late, corrupted, or technically damaged submissions, nor for unauthorized third-party use of images once publicly shared.

11. Final Decisions

All selection and curatorial decisions made by the organizers are final.

12. Acceptance of Terms

Submission of an entry constitutes full acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.

13. Ethical Standards

Images should respect the dignity, safety, and privacy of all individuals and communities represented.

About the organizers:

Climate and Clean Air Coalition
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is a voluntary partnership of over 200 governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations committed to protecting the climate and improving air quality through actions to reduce the super pollutants which are short-lived in the atmosphere: methane, black carbon, tropospheric ozone and HFCs, through a practical, measures-based approach. The Coalition’s work is grounded in robust science and analysis and supported by a dedicated Trust Fund, which together have fostered high-level political commitment, in-country implementation, and tools that strengthen the case for action and accelerate action and results.

State of Global Air
The State of Global Air is a research and outreach initiative to provide reliable, meaningful information about air quality around the world. A collaboration of the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project, the program gives citizens, journalists, policymakers, and scientists access to high-quality, objective information about air pollution and its health impacts. All data and reports are free and available to the public.

Africa Clean Air Network
The Africa Clean Air Network (AfriCAN) is an Africa-based collaboration platform bringing together partners across borders, disciplines and sectors; it was configured on the philosophy of strengthening Africa-led efforts towards clean air action. Launched in 2023, the network is building a shared framework to connect people, data, and solutions.

UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.