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the wilds Pitched on this theme of raising awareness for conservation, the Wild Life Photographer 2006 contest will this year be conducted by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), the country’s oldest conservation body having been established in 1894. Entries are now being invited from photographers of wildlife images, taken anywhere in Sri Lanka. Speaking at the launch of the contest, Chairman of the Organizing Committee Chitral Jayatilake recalled how he had won a prize at the wildlife photography contest organized by the WNPS, all of 12 years ago. Today, he is a well known wildlife photographer and author whose endearing image of a leopard cub peeping out of the bush appears on the contest literature, capturing the essence of how a striking image can draw attention. Stressing Sri Lanka’s amazing wealth of diversity, Chitral spoke of the need to create awareness so that natural habitats now increasingly under threat could be protected. President of the WNPS and a veteran photographer himself Lal Anthonis outlined how the WNPS had its beginnings as a hunting society when it was first started by British planters but with the passage of time emerged as a strong force for conservation. His own odyssey into photography was nurtured by his mother who gave him Jim Corbett’s famous book ‘Man Eater of Kumanon’ to read. The original film King Kong in the 1920s sparked an interest in people in wild life and with it the trend changed from people who wanted wildlife as trophies on their walls to wanting to be able to go out and see it themselves, Mr. Anthonis said, explaining how wildlife photography can be a powerful tool for conservation. The contest will be conducted in five categories, Mammals, Birds, Other Wild Life, Wild and Scenic Places and the Junior Section. The Junior Section is open to all those under the age of 18 years as at June 30, 2006. In a departure from the previous years when this contest was conducted, entries will be limited to images of Sri Lankan wildlife and wild places, though the contest can be sent in by both local and foreign photographers. The winner of the main award ‘Wild Life Photographer 2006’ will receive a prize of Rs. 100,000 while the winner in the junior section will receive Rs. 25,000. An exhibition of chosen entries will be held with the prize-giving on September 21 at the Harold Peiris Gallery of the Lionel Wendt. The panel of judges will comprise Mr. Anthonis, Dominic Sansoni, Rukshan Jayewardene, Berty Gunasekera and Anura Kirtisinghe, all well-known photographers with a wealth of experience between them. Executive Vice President of John Keells Holdings Jayantha Kehelpannala, Director, Hayleys Consumer Products Jude de Silva and CEO of Nations Trust Bank Zulfiqar Zavahir also spoke at the launch of the contest. A word of advice came from another well-known conservationist Ravi Samarasinha who urged competitors to look for something different and unusual, when choosing their entries. The official website for the contest www.wildlifephotographer.lk was also launched at the press conference. The main sponsors of the contest are Fujifilm, Yala Village Hotel, and American Express Card with the Nations Trust Bank. The media sponsors are Sirasa TV, MTV, Yes FM, Sirasa radio, Shakthi FM, the Daily Mirror, Lankadeepa, The Sunday Times and the HI!! Magazine while the official publication is Travel Sri Lanka. Entry forms for the Wild Life Photographer 2006 contest are available at: Exposure Studio and Colour Lab, 501, Union Place, Colombo 2, John Keells Holdings, 130, Glennie Street, Colombo 2, the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society, 86, Rajamalwatte Road, Battaramulla and Nations Trust Bank branches and Keells Super outlets. Entries will close on June 15. |
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