The first CIDEREU International Photo Contest has received around 350 entries from several European countries. The selected images will form part of a travelling exhibition developed within the European programme dedicated to apple and cider culture.
LA SIDRA.- The first CIDEREU International Photo Contest closed its submission period with around 350 photographs received from across Europe. Participation in this initial edition reflects the interest in documenting and sharing the agricultural, social and cultural expressions connected with apples and cider.
The submission deadline was 15 July, and the results are due to be announced on 31 July. The contest includes a first prize of €500, a second prize of €200 and a local prize of €100.
The competition is one of the activities included in CIDEREU, a European cooperation programme introduced as a major project for cider culture and traditional agriculture. Its scope extends beyond cider as a finished product, covering orchards, agricultural work, cider mills, producers, landscapes, traditions and the social relationships created around apples and cider.
The photographs submitted therefore provide a broad visual record of this shared heritage. Entries from different European territories will show diverse approaches to apple growing, cider production and the preservation of practices that continue to have cultural, economic and community value in rural areas.
The contest forms part of the ‘Women, Culture and Sustainability’ work package, coordinated by the Portuguese municipality of Carrazeda de Ansiães. This section of CIDEREU focuses particularly on making the role of women in agriculture, apple growing and cider production more visible. Selected photographs will be included in a travelling European exhibition visiting the participating cities, accompanied by workshops, conferences and meetings on equality, rural entrepreneurship and sustainability.
CIDEREU brings together ten cities and territories from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. It is implemented within the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme and includes international meetings, educational activities, citizens’ workshops and initiatives to preserve the intangible heritage associated with apples and cider.
In Asturies, the programme and its opportunities have already been discussed at several public events. SIDRAFORUM’26 in Nava examined the municipality’s involvement in Cider Cities and CIDEREU and the possibilities these structures provide for cooperation among cider-producing territories.
The contest is also linked to the continued development of Cider Cities, the European Network of Apple and Cider Cities. In recent months, the network has presented its cooperation model at the First Canary Islands Cider Forum, opened discussions regarding the possible inclusion of A Estrada and held institutional meetings in Ireland. These included a meeting with the Mayor of Cork and the planting of a ‘verdialona’ apple tree.
The approximately 350 photographs submitted represent one of the first visible results of the work being carried out within CIDEREU. Beyond their participation in the contest, the images will help create a visual record of the landscapes, people and practices that make up Europe’s apple and cider culture.
