Feature

"BP-Challenge": Contest, Inauguration and Exhibition

Amena Alam Upoma

During the Contest…
The Contest "BP-Challenge" kicked off on February 28, this year. Over 275 entries were submitted in three different categories: Category-A (10 to 18 years of age), Category-B (19 to 26 years of age), and Category-C (27 and above of age). Anyone who has been a member of "Bangladeshi Photographers" (BP) was eligible to show their enthusiastic participation in this contest, including all the administrators and moderators of the group.

The very well renowned photographers, Mr. GMB AKASH, Mr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Mr. Aftab Uzzaman and Mr. Mohammad Rakibul Hasan were the honourable jury members. Since the jury members wanted to judge and promote today's eyes of photography that reflects armatures' thoughts, viewpoints and their own perspectives of how they see things around them, the participants were asked to post their recent photographic works. The photography works taken before 2008 were declared ineligible to participate in the contest.

The winner, each from Category-A and Category-B, was decided to be rewarded with either a DSLR camera or camera related equipments within the allotted budget. A special price was reward for the winner of Category-C.

Within few days of finishing of the contest, the jury members were done choosing the winners. The core-members of "BP-Challenge" have been informed by the judgments of the jury-members that they were almost done with the final judgment process and would send their final result soon. To keep the whole thing acidulous, the Administrators and the Moderators of Bangladeshi Photographers decided not to declare the result online.

In the mean time, the BP-crew was busy making the banners, posters and invitation cards, media publications and etcetera. The poster making credit goes to Mr. Pramiti R. Khan Riday and Mr. Abdul Aziz Apu. Mr. Pramiti R. Khan Riday has designed the banner over ally, and the photo-credit goes to Mr. Abdul Aziz Apu.

On August 4, .2010 BP arranged that excitedly expected photography exhibition inauguration. The guests present in the event were Mr. David Barikdar (Renowned Photographer), Mr. Kawser Mahmud (Prominent Journalist) and Mr. GMB Akash (another Renowned Photographer). They awarded the winner of each of the three categories, namely: Tanveer Abdullah Rahman from category A, Md. Sazzad Hossain from category B and Arifur Rahman from category C.

The five-day-long exhibition began with the immediate finishing of the inauguration ceremony. The exhibition featured selected photographers from the online photography contest "BP-Challenge", which was basically the result of the five-month-long online photography contest, in order to inspire the young photographers and hobbyists in the field of photography. The exhibition showcased 80+ photographic works out of which 50 frames had been chosen from the contest threads and rests of the shots were by the BP Administrators from BP Archive.

Unlike most other exhibitions event, the inauguration ceremony was not only the center of attraction. There was a musical soiree was arranged in 6 August, which made the visitors love the event even more.

On 8 August, the final day of the exhibition, an exclusive photography workshop called "The Secrets" was arranged, being conducted by Mr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman, a well-renowned Photographer of the country. The workshop taught the basics criteria of photography, and was spectacularly helpful for the beginners.

At the end of the Exhibition event Mr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman on behalf of Bangladeshi Photographerscordially and humbly thanked all the participants, administrators and moderators of BP, BUET Photographic Society; ABC-Radio, Bangla Vision, Star Campus and other media who covered the event for the coverage of the exhibition "BP-challenge" and for making it a grand success. He added, “I thank all the members of other photography groups like TTL, Shudhui Bangla and Photography BD, who came to visit the exhibit and inspired us greatly.”

Bangladeshi Photographers, the online photography community, is now looking forward to their upcoming photography exhibition, which will hopefully be taking place on November 2010.

Till then aren't you waiting to show up again, huh?!

(The writer is a Trainee Editorial Assistant, Editorial & Op-Ed)