Newsday
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
