EU photo and art competition winners receive prizes

The European Union (EU) Delegation to TT recently concluded the fifth edition of its photography and art competition entitled, In the Spotlight.

A media release said, much buzz surrounded this year’s competition as a new category of images created using artificial intelligence (AI) was added. AI images are considered as those created or augmented by using a series of word prompts and feeding it into an AI text-to-image generator.

In collaboration with partner, the Photographers' Guild of TT and associate partner, the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), this annual competition is in keeping with the EU's objective to put cultural cooperation at the heart of its relations with countries around the world.

The awards ceremony and exhibition opening was held at the Academy of the Performing Arts, UTT, Port of Spain on July 3 where the winners were announced and presented with prizes including gift certificates for photography and art supplies.

Guests then mingled with the artists and avidly learned about the inspiration behind the creation of the many splendid photos and art pieces on display, the release said.

The competition theme, In the Spotlight, selected for 2024, had a dual purpose – to pay homage and draw attention to the recently concluded Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls and promote gender equality. The theme was also chosen to shine a proverbial "spotlight" on other key global issues in order to allow for reflection and dialogue through the photographer’s lens and the artist’s paintbrush, the release said.

The competition was launched in April with a mid-June deadline. Participants submitted their photos, and art pieces under the competition’s sub-themes, including, Nurture Nature, Diversity and Inclusivity, I Am Woman and i-Innovate. Entries were judged by an all-female panel, in keeping with the Spotlight theme, and were based on quality of the work, relevance to selected theme and resonance of the message.

The competition exhibition will remain open for public viewing at UTT APA until July 10. The opening hours are from 8 am-4 pm daily.

Here is the list of the winners:

Photo Amateur

1st - Mariela Bruzual

2nd - Catherine Sforza

3rd - Shalini Ramnarine

Photo Professional

1st - Nyla Singh

2nd - Shaun Rambaran

3rd - Chris Anderson (Winner – Best Drone Photography)

Photo Youth

1st - Jaylon Suphal

2nd - Jayda Jireh Ramjattan

3rd - Na Jean Thomas

Artificial Intelligence

1st - Astral Krystal Ochoa

2nd - Navin Persad

Art Amateur

1st - Nathanael Davis

2nd - Davi Ramkallawan

3rd - Bibi Aligour

Art Professional

1st - Deniecia Quashie

2nd - Anika Plowden-Corentin

3rd - Candice Sobers

Art Youth

1st - Shivali Rambachan

2nd - Liezel Parris

3rd - Cylah Duff

Art Under 12

1st - Aydan Dookie

2nd - Bridgette Satyana Gopaul (Winner – Best Thematic Image)

3rd - Ivy Natalia Apoo