One of the nicest things about working with food market managers and traders is that the people you deal with tend to be, generally speaking, pretty down-to-earth and amiable. They enjoy the hustle-and-bustle atmosphere of blending colour, culture and variety with food trading, and I notice they often enjoy the more simple but important things in life - things so many of us today are in danger of losing or taking for granted.

Personally, I find markets are something of an addiction for a good many people. This may also be one of the reasons that markets are increasingly seen as tourism draw cards and focal points for local activities or community cohesion initiatives.

In light of that, the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) has recently launched a market photo competition. This is one way we can be effective in showing the role, colour, diversity and importance that markets have in the lives of people and their communities. Submissions are welcome from both members and non-members of our association. However, any photo submitted must have been taken on a food market - whether retail, wholesale, open-air or street, and we would like to know the name of the market, as well as your proposal for a photo title. Perhaps, if you wish, you may even want to tell us the story behind the picture. In my experience, there is bound to be one! The winning photographs will be announced during the WUWM 26th Congress, which will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from October 1-3. Any winning photographers must agree to have their credited photo published in a WUWM 2009 markets calendar, which will be distributed towards the end of the year.

This photo competition complements three WUWM member global wholesale market awards to be issued in 2008, in the areas of Community Support, Market Innovation and Environmental Sustainability. The awards, to be announced during the 26th WUWM Congress, are designed to publicly highlight and congratulate at least a few of the many actions and projects being undertaken by markets around the world today.

Undoubtedly, these awards will detail many programmes of great benefit to small- and medium-sized businesses, traders and communities the world over, and probably actions that otherwise would seldom be acknowledged, especially within the mainstream food industry as we know it today.

If you would like more information on the 26th WUWM Congress, please visit www.wuwmcongresscopenhagen.dk or visit the WUWM website at www.wuwm.org

The deadline for photo entries is September 1 and submission forms are available from m.cavit@wuwm.org