Have you ever imagined gaining access to one of the most important governing bodies on the planet and taking photos as though you worked for the the Associated Press or AFP? Well now you (maybe, possibly) can!

The European Parliament, a long-time and active member of the Flickr community, is running monthly themed contests to select two guest photographers to attend the opening session of the Parliament this November in Strasbourg, France. Each month they are announcing a new theme on their Facebook page related to development issues, given that 2015 is the European Year for Development. The current theme is “Children and youth,” with entries being accepted until August 30th.

“This parliament is beautiful aesthetically and is the center of European Parliament,” said European Parliament Photo Editor Pietro Naj-Oleari. “We are trying to give people an opportunity to see the Parliament in a unique way. We encourage them to be free to go around the Parliament and to show it how they see it.”

To participate, read the rules and download your submission form on the European Parliament website here. You must be a resident of the European Union. You will need to submit your photo and entry form via email to webcom-flickr@europarl.europa.eu.

We also encourage you to add your photo from the submission process to the European Parliament Flickr group and feel free to ask questions in the discussion threads there (note: submitting to the Flickr group does not qualify your photo for the opportunity; you must go through their submission process on their website).

An editorial committee at the European Parliament will select the ten best entries each month, culminating in their choice for the winner of the month. This will automatically make them a finalist for the jury prize. At the same time, the ten best photos will be showcased on their Facebook page, where the public can vote for their favorite. The most-liked photo will be awarded the audience prize. Both of these photographers will be invited to the plenary session in November 2015.

“The photographers who participated are very happy,” said Naj-Oleari. “Some of them got jobs and articles in the press based on their reporting. It was a good opportunity to develop their careers.”