Photography has the power to fascinate, inspire, and even change the way we see and understand the world around us. At Flickr, we celebrate this along with our community of users. Today, we’re excited to introduce the first annual Flickr 20under20 – an initiative that celebrates 20 of the world’s most extraordinary young photographers on Flickr.

Millions of photographers share their inspiration with the world every day on Flickr, and we wanted to show our support by finding and promoting the future’s brightest young photography talent. The 20under20 were selected from Flickr’s young photography community by a panel of influential Flickr photographers — Lou Nobel, Cuba Gallery, and Rosie Hardy and Bernardo Hernandez. They were evaluated on their creativity, technical talent, and overall strength of portfolio.

We’ll be showcasing the work of these 20 inspirational photographers throughout the year on Yahoo and Flickr. Their work will also be exhibited at a gala event on October 1 at Milk Studios in New York City, curated by Vogue Photography Director, Ivan Shaw. As part of our 20under20 initiative, Shaw chose Laurence Philomene to receive the 20under20 Curator’s Choice Award. Shaw felt her photography offered a unique and fresh perspective, a window into a world he hadn’t seen before. As part of the award, he will mentor Philomene for a year.

Visit flickr.com/20under20 to learn more about the 20 photographers who have been chosen for this honor. Also tweet to vote for the photographer you think should receive the Audience Choice Award. Using #Flickr20u20 and the photographer’s name, vote for the #mostcreative, #besttechnique, and #strongestportfolio. These winners will be announced at the gala on October 1. We’d also encourage you to submit nominations for next year’s Flickr 20under20 by emailing their Flickr name or URL to 20under20@yahoo-inc.com.

And for all you young photographers out there, keep inspiring us with your photos!