Internet Group Launches ‘Take A Selfie With A DEAD Person’ Contest

A sick contest that asks people to take selfies with DEAD friends and relatives has been launched by an Internet group.

WARNING: Graphic content

The ‘Selfie with a Dead Man’ page on VKontakte - Russia’s answer to Facebook - insists the project is intending to recreate Victorian English tradition rather than simply to shock.

Despite this, founder Alfred Polyakov, a former funeral service employee, has promised awards and cash prizes of up to £50 for the best photos sent into the group, which now has scores of followers.

The 28-year-old said that there were conditions for any pictures sent in, adding that there was “nothing bad about it”.

He said: “People are afraid to make selfies with the dead and to send them to us.

“We got only a few photos, but did not publish them.”

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"First of all, we do not allow underage people to take part in our contest, second of all we will publish photos only if the dead person’s relatives have signed papers claiming they don’t mind.

"There is nothing bad about it, if you take a photo of your dead relative with love.”

Unbelievably, Polyakov thinks the pictures will actually HELP people who have lost a loved one.

He added: "With the contest we are doing a good thing, trying to help the family of the dead person come to terms with their grief.

“And of course, there is the cash, 5,000 roubles (£50) is a lot of money, if they get it.”

Polyakov came up with the strange idea for the group after initially trying to get people to take a selfie with a 13-year-old Russian girl who died in a car crash.

(Rex)

After no one took him up on his request, there was such a huge debate on the subject that he decided to create the group.

Despite the big numbers who have joined the page, only a few selfies have so far been sent in.

Some have also threatened to block the group.

One posted on the page: "Let those that have died to go in peace. Leave them alone.”

Photographs were not common in Victorian Britain and relatives would arrange a picture taken with a dead relative to have something to remember the person by.

It was particularly common to take pictures of the children as a memento for their grieving parents, often photographing them with siblings or their favourite toys.