To mark the upcoming World Photography Day, Indian Photo Festival (IPF) in association with HMDA and CREDAl Hyderabad, unveiled nominations for the upcoming IPF Photographer of The Year Award.
All the nominated photographs will be showcased at the State Art Gallery, Madhapur from August 19 to September 19. In its first edition, IPF selected 5 nominations each, across eight categories.
The final winners will be announced in a gala event to be held in Hyderabad in September.
Sharing his views, Arvind Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, MA & UD and Director General (NIUM) said that Hyderabad has marked itself on the global map with regards to IT, infrastructure, entertainment, etc. “But the city is so much more than this. Our rich heritage and culture getting showcased at distinguished international artistic platforms like IPF and IPF Photographer of The Year Award, helps us take Hyderabad beyond the geographical boundaries,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said that the State government is doing this on the occasion of ‘Swatantra Bharat Vajrotsavalu’ to showcase the best talent in photography.
These awards also give an opportunity and exposure to our local photographers to see the works of people from around the world. “We encourage people from in and around Hyderabad, to take advantage of this opportunity and visit this one-month-long unique exhibit at the state art gallery,” the senior IAS officer said.
“Receiving entries from across 85 countries for our first edition was an overwhelming response. The submissions were outstanding and did pose a challenge for the jury to select nominations as some of the works submitted were simply remarkable,” said Aquin Mathews, Founder and Director, Indian Photo Festival.
He said that they were sure to scale up these awards year on year in the benefit of the photography community. “Initiatives like these not only bring the community together but also give photographers a larger platform and exposure while adding credibility and validation to their works”, said Mr. Mathews said.
The entries were called in for eight categories - Photojournalism, Documentary, Travel and Nature, Wildlife, Street, Portrait, Wedding and Mobiles. Submissions were made by professional and non- professional photographers. The winning images and winning photographers will get an opportunity to travel the world and promote their work.
