AFAR & United MileagePlus Partner To Celebrate Great Travel Photography

NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the success of the AFAR Photo Awards in 2018, AFAR Media and United MileagePlus have again partnered on a global search for aspiring photography talent. The 2019 AFAR Photo Awards will celebrate the diverse and creative ways travelers capture the world.

"United MileagePlus members can travel to more destinations than any other U.S. carrier through United and Star Alliance," says Luc Bondar, United's president of MileagePlus and Vice President of Loyalty. "I'm thrilled they will have the opportunity to share their photos with us and with AFAR. Our members are a community of travelers who inspire one another with the photos they share on their travels."

This year, entrants will be asked to submit photo entries within five distinct categories: People, Outdoors, Cities, Food, and Style & Design. United's global coffee partner, Illy caffè North America Inc., has also joined to sponsor the Style & Design category for the first time.

"We are very excited to support this year's AFAR Photo Awards initiative. Every day, illy is experienced by travelers in over 140 countries across a wide spectrum of memorable moments and destinations including many of the world's best airlines, cruises, hotels, restaurants and cafés," said Beverly Stotz, Chief Marketing Officer for illy caffè North America. "Travel photography is a natural connection for illy especially when created through an artistic lens that's driven by passion, inspiration, and beauty."

The award recipients will be determined by a premier panel of AFAR-curated judges. The winning photographs and select judges' picks will be honored at a gallery space in San Francisco and displayed for an exhibit starting in November 2019.

"AFAR is well known and critically acclaimed for our photography," said Greg Sullivan, CEO and Cofounder of AFAR, "We've always sought to show the world as it really is, not a fantasy view, but with an optimistic lens. The AFAR Photo Awards asks travelers to share their best images with us. Here is your chance to be an AFAR Photographer."

Category and grand winner prizes include United Polaris international business air travel to anywhere United flies, cash prizes, illy prizes, publication in AFAR's award-winning travel magazine and on AFAR.com, and more.

There is a $10 entry fee for the first three images. 25% of the proceeds will go to Learning AFAR, AFAR's non-profit foundation that introduces the importance of travel to high school students. The competition is open through September 18^th. Enter now at afar.com/photoawards. Winners will be announced on November 7, 2019.

About AFAR Media: AFAR Media is the multiplatform media company dedicated to experiential travel, inspiring, guiding, and enabling its audience to have deeper, richer, and more fulfilling travel experiences. Founded by Greg Sullivan and Joe Diaz, AFAR launched as a print travel magazine at the height of the recession in 2009 to approach travel in a way that no other media publication was doing, to meet a rapidly-growing appetite amongst travelers for more immersive and authentic experiences. Based in New York and San Francisco, AFAR's diverse portfolio of platforms includes: AFAR magazine; AFAR.com; Learning AFAR; AFAR Advisor, and AFAR Experiences, an exclusive immersive travel event series.

About United: United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,900 flights a day to 355 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 779 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 569 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook.

About illy: Coffee of the highest order, coffee that delights: this is illy's mission, passion and obsession. Since our beginnings in Trieste, Italy in 1933, we've spent eight decades refining our signature blend, celebrated the world over as the pinnacle of what coffee can be. To create the perfect cup, we select from only the top 1% of Arabica beans grown around the globe. Coffee is our art. It's the medium we use to create something extraordinary. Sip. Savor. Be Inspired.

CONTACT: Katherine Galeotti, kgaleotti@afar.com

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SOURCE AFAR Media