If your holiday albums are full of nature clicks, here’s your chance to showcase your hidden talent. Sign up for Merlin Green Frames, a nature photography contest organised by the Merlin Group at Merlin Greens – Ibiza the Fern Resort and Spa, Kolkata, and Aquaville, on March 11 and 12.
The contest will be held on March 11 -12, 2023 at Merlin Greens – Ibiza the Fern Resort and Spa, Kolkata and Aquaville. The area around these Merlin properties is ideal for flora and fauna to thrive along with the presence of several migratory birds.
The contest will be held in five categories — Landscape: co-existence of man and nature; Macro: the minute beauty of nature; Birds: their habitats; Flora and Fauna and Life in Action. The participants will be mentored and judged by award-winning photographer Pubarun Basu and entrepreneur Bishakha Dutta.
Actor and photography enthusiast Badshah Moitra will be present on March 11 to boost the morale of the participants.
To provide hands-on skills to budding photographers and enhance their knowledge in the field, SONY and Pubarun Basu will be conducting workshops for the participants at Ibiza – The Fern Resort and Spa. The top 10 winners will be awarded cash prizes, trophies, frames and more. A coffee-table book of selected photographs is also in the pipeline.
“It’s a fact that today technology has taken over. But there is always one thing, photography also includes storytelling. When you take a photograph it’s not a mere photograph, but it tells a story. This type of creativity cannot be made on your devices. You have to go to the field, see, feel and experience it,” said Milan Kanti Mandal, divisional forest officer, South 24-Parganas, at a programme to launch the competition.
Merlin Group chairman Sushil Mohta stressed on the need to generate awareness about nature among the young generation
The contest is also aimed at sensitising participants towards environmental conservation. “Development cannot be stopped. But with development we also need to take care of nature and bring some element of nature into whatever we do. That will be our little contribution. In today’s context the young generation is forgetting physical games because of increased screen time. So we need to create more awareness about nature,” said Sushil Mohta, chairman, Merlin Group.
The programme was also attended by Bonani Kakkar, environmentalist; Pranab Basu and Pubarun Basu, award-winning photographers; and Bishakha Dutta, entrepreneur.
How to register?
Click on https://forms.gle/zL4MgZivEuz41jGN9 ; call at 8337044587 or email to merlingreenframe@gmail.com. Preferred date of attendance can be selected at time of registration.
Last date of registration: March 9, 2023
Walk-ins from 7am to 9am on the properties
Workshop from 1pm onwards
Eligibility: Only those amateurs or professionals of 20 years and above