Kolkata, February 11th, 2019- In its endeavour of creating a platform for the photography lovers across the country, Canon India, a leader in imaging is back with its ninth edition of the most coveted live photo contest – Canon PhotoMarathon in Kolkata for East India. After successful editions in the past, Canon hosted the competition for the first time in East India at Science City Auditorium, Mirania Gardens, Topsia, Kolkata on 9th February 2019. The theme-based day-long photography saw participation from over 500 participants who showcased their skills to compete for exciting prizes.
The 9th edition of Canon PhotoMarathon was flagged off by Mr. Eddie Udagawa, Vice President, Consumer Imaging and Information Centre, Canon India. The participants were judged by an eminent jury panel, including Mr. Ravi Dhingra- lifestyle and commercial photographer; Mr. Rambabu Dhanishetty- wedding and fashion photographer and Mr. Tejas Soni- renowned wildlife photographer.
Elaborating on the event, Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India said, “We at Canon believe that photography is an art that needs to be cherished and nurtured by everyone. Being a leader in the imaging space with more than 20 years of legacy in the country, we have played a pivotal role in the evolution of photography culture and are proud to have connected many to the marvels of imaging. Over the years, Canon PhotoMarathon has been an integral platform for us to drive forward the zeal for photography across the country. At the same time, it is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our input-to-output product expertise, delivering a wholesome imaging experience for our users. We have seen both budding enthusiasts and professionals participate with equal vigour in the competition, unleashing a world full of memories and stories to treasure. With the ninth edition of PhotoMarathon, we aim to bring more and more people on board to witness the powerful and magical medium of imaging.”
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Eddie Udagawa Vice President, Consumer Imaging and Information centre, Canon India, said, “Canon PhotoMarathon is one of our several initiatives aimed at creating a unique platform for photography enthusiasts to express themselves through the art of clicking. We have received an overwhelming response from participants for our previous editions. We feel extremely proud with the photographic capabilities that Canon PhotoMarathon managed to attract this year for the first ever event conducted in Kolkata. Our focus remains to support this extraordinary pool of emerging photographers to showcase their individual talent and build relations with fellow photographers.”
Canon PhotoMarathon is an annual event initially conceptualised in Singapore. Since its initiation in 2009, the Canon PhotoMarathon has been growing immensely year-on-year. What initially started as a competition for professional photographers, has now increased significantly by participation from beginners, hobbyists and youngsters.
Deemed as one of the largest photo competitions, the event brings photography enthusiasts closer, while challenging them to push their boundaries and showcase their photographic creativity through their own perspective in line with given themes under time pressure. Two unique themes are announced before the event which makes the competition even more exciting. The highlight of the event is the Grand Prize – which is an all-expenses paid photography trip to Canon PhotoMarathon Asia Championship 2019 in Japan. Since the introduction of student category in 2016, Canon has been encouraging students to participate in this event in order to nourish their photography skills.
The highlight of the event was not only the Grand prize but exquisite prizes awarded to the second and the third winners with EOS 6D Mark II (EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM) and EOS 80D (EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) respectively. Additionally, there were exciting prizes for the theme based winners, runners up and student’s category.
Sharing his winning experience at the 9th Canon Photo Marathon and expressing his delight, Sammya Brata Mullick said, “Being a part of the Canon PhotoMarathon is a huge honour and winning this coveted contest, is a lifetime achievement for me. This live photography competition encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone and challenge our abilities as photographers. I am ecstatic to have won the contest and would like to thank everyone at Canon for creating such a platform for photography enthusiasts. I really look forward to attending the Canon PhotoMarathon Asia Championship in Japan and representing my city Calcutta on a Global platform.”
To inspire photo enthusiasts and offer them a hands-on experience, Canon cameras and printers were on display at the event to deliver input to output solution. Living its commitment to the community, Canon had set up a free camera health check-up camp where Canon cameras can be thoroughly examined and cleaned by Canon’s technical service professionals.
Vishal Singh, aged 17, student of KLS college Nawada Bihar, won the first prize in the student category.
Commenting on his win, said, “Canon PhotoMarathon is an amazing platform for photography enthusiasts like me. I was eagerly waiting for this competition since last two years. The theme ‘Let’s build friendship’ was an exciting one and it made me think creatively and out of the box. Ever since I developed interest in photography, I have been an avid Canon user. Being my first photography competition, it was a dream come true for me to see my photograph and creativity being appreciated by eminent photographers. I am so happy to take home an EOS 1500D, this will surely help me to get closer to photography. I would like to thank my family and friends who always support me.”
Participants will be encouraged to share the picture of their experience on social media along with the hashtag <#CanonPhotoMarathon2019>