AMIGOS, Continental Airlines Announce Latin America Photo Contest Winner

HOUSTON, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amigos de las Americas (AMIGOS) and Continental Airlines are proud to announce the Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 Continental Latin American Photo Contest. Rebeca Beeman of Portland, Oregon, took the winning photo titled "Callejon (Alley)" in Guanajuato, Mexico where she was living at the time.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081112/DC45185LOGO)

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This year, we received more than 1,000 photo submissions from all over the world. Beeman's photo was chosen by a panel of judges from Continental and AMIGOS. As the grand prize winner, Beeman will receive two round-trip Continental Airlines tickets to a destination of her choice in Latin America.

Beeman snapped the winning photo in Guanajuato where she recently spent several years designing and running a digital storytelling program at a girls' shelter. "One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Guanajuato was to wander the city, photographing the colorful buildings, alleys, and hills," she said. This particular photograph captures a little girl proudly returning to her mom with freshly purchased tortillas tucked into her bag.

As a teenager, Beeman was an AMIGOS Volunteer in rural Mexico. In college, she returned to Latin America to serve on AMIGOS Project Staff three times. Her experience with the organization set the tone for her work. "I am an artist and educator," Beeman explains, "I believe that art and documentary work can be a powerful tool for self-expression and social change...and I especially love working with young people, rooted in my time with AMIGOS, to facilitate their personal growth and positive development through art."

Sponsored by Continental and AMIGOS, the contest is intended to demonstrate the beauty and excitement of the seven Latin American countries where both the airline and the nonprofit group have a presence. This is the sixth annual Latin America photo contest the organizations have sponsored together. AMIGOS is a Houston-based international nonprofit organization that empowers teenagers and young adults to develop leadership skills and increase multi-cultural awareness through training and community service in Latin America. For more information, visit www.amigoslink.org.

Continental Airlines, the world's fifth-largest airline, offers nonstop service to 70 destinations in 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Continental serves 29 Mexican destinations -- more than any other airline from the U.S. -- and has more flights from the U.S. to Mexico than any other airline.  Continental also offers nonstop service to 10 cities in Central America, seven South American destinations and 24 destinations in the Caribbean. A pioneer in "Latinization," Continental offers a number of Spanish-language services, including bilingual flight attendants on many flights to Latin America; bilingual airport personnel, reservations agents and signage; and a Spanish-language Web site at www.continental.com/espanol.  Passengers also may make reservations in Spanish at 1-800-537-9222. Continental Airlines has been named to Hispanic Magazine's list of "100 Best Companies for Hispanics" 10 times and in summer 2008 was named to Latin Business Magazine's Diversity Honor Roll for the third consecutive year.

To view the winning photo visit  http://www.amigoslink.org/news/2010Winner/

SOURCE Amigos de las Americas