European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS) invites all high school students (15-19 years old) to challenge the idea of a border and to explore their immediate environment by taking part in a photography competition: Borders calling! The competition is open until 31st January 2026, students can enter here: Borders Calling | ENRS
Borders are everywhere—not just between countries, but in your neighbourhood, your city, even in the spaces you pass through every day. Some are visible, like walls or rivers. Others are invisible, like where different communities meet or where one culture transitions into another.
Show borders to your students and encourage them to take part in a photography competition! Borders calling is an opportunity for your students to combine creativity and critical thinking with visual storytelling, and – an opportunity to win cash prizes!
This competition invites your students to explore the borders around you and discover the stories they tell. What divides a community? What brings it together? How do these boundaries shape who we are?
What we’re looking for: Borderlandscapes
A borderlandscape is an outdoor space where human-made elements (buildings, roads, fences, objects, even trash) meet natural elements (rivers, fields, forests, mountains) to create some kind of division. These spaces have stories to tell about identity, history, and community.
Ask your students:
- What story do they want to tell?
- What is the border in their photo?
- How does this border influence the landscape and the people around it?
- What local stories make up this borderland?
- How does the landscape reflect local identity and culture?
- What feelings do they—and others in their community—have about this border?
- What do the borderlands tell us about who we are?
You don’t need to live in a border region to participate. Every place has borders worth exploring.
Want to prepare your students for this competition? We’ve created free educational materials specifically for educators.
The Hi-Story Lessons plan includes:
- Introduction to border issues and landscape
- Visual storytelling basics
- Guides for conducting local walks with students
- Tips on connecting with local communities
- Ideas for organizing school photo exhibitions
Access the materials: Available free on the platform Hi-Story Lessons for teachers.
Click here for the lesson plans: How do borders shape our perception? – Hi-Story Lessons.
Encourage your students to register for the competition via the form available at our website: Borders Calling | ENRS
Competition dates:
15 December – 31 January 2026
