<I>The Day</I>’s photo contest is a medicine for social indifference

Among the great many periodicals people, especially residents of remote regions of Ukraine, learned about our newspaper thanks to The Day’s traditional annual photo contest that will mark its 10th anniversary next year. In the past nine years the best photos have been displayed in Lviv, Lutsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Luhansk, Kamianets-Podilsky, Odesa, Truskavets, Chernivtsi, and other cities. During this period more than 500,000 people have seen the best works by domestic and foreign noted photographers, among them Vasyl Pylypiuk, Volodymyr Starodub, Vasyl Artiushenko, Borys Panov, Serhii Kotelnykov, Leonid Bakka, Mykola Lazarenko, Yevhen Kravs, Borys Korpusenko, Vadym Lesnoi, Jean-Jacques Gyots (France), and Reiner Riedler (Austria). Traditionally, each photo contest was thematic; the first was entitled “In Light of the Day”; the second one, “Faces. Destinies. Day. Centuries”. For example, the fourth one was entitled “The New Day. Light and Shadows”.

This year’s photo contest, Den’-2007, lasted five months and the best works were put on display at the Ukrainian Home on Sept. 21 marking our newspaper’s anniversary. Each of the two hundred and fifty works by 220 photographers captures a moment of life that you fail to notice because of the quick passage of time: people’s emotions, their inner world, the beauty and surprise of the surrounding world. These photos, chosen by the jury from 2,000 submitted to the contest, reflect contrasts of our life as though seen through a magnifying glass.

Thirty-three photographers have won acclaim, some for the first time, and sponsors’ prizes. Oleksandr Svystunov (Vinnytsia oblast) won the World Bank’s special prize for his “Photo with a Straight-A Student”; Bank NRB-Ukraine’s Superprize worth 10,000 hryvnias went to Kyivans Yurii Kalymiak (“Warning. Ozhydiv. Manmade Disaster”) and Oleksandr Synytsia (“Despair. Ozhydiv. Manmade Disaster”). Oleksandr Kosarev’s “A Lion Cub from Lviv” (from the Holodomor memorial series) won a special prize of Larysa Ivshyna, The Day’s editor-in-chief.

Among the winners of other special prizes were The Day’s staff photographers Borys Korpusenko (“Celebrity”; special prize from the Oleksandr Feldman Benevolent Foundation); Leonid Bakka (“Gentlemen. What is the Future Like?” — TV Channel 5). Ruslan Kaniuka’s “Tauric Waltz”, “Political Fatigue”, and other works won special prizes from Hewlett Packard.

The Editors wish to express their gratitude to the partners and sponsors of this photo exhibit, without whom it would have been impossible, specifically to ZAT Bank NRB-Ukraine, UN Representation to Ukraine, World Bank, television channels 1+1, First National, Inter, ICTV, TET, as well as to Adamant Co. for the live broadcast of the award ceremony on the Internet.

COMMENTARIES

Kostiantyn HRYSHCHENKO, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs:

“This is a warm and penetrating vision of events, and most importantly, people. Often, faced with events and towering political figures, we tend to forget that Ukraine is made up not only of this political elite, but also of all those people who are creating contemporary national history. Here one finds a great many philosophical and keen modern observations. This is proof that those who selected these photographs have real talent and creative inspiration, for they chose the best works reflecting our current realities.”

Paul BIRMINGHAM, World Bank regional director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova:

“We have been in contact with this exhibit for three years and enjoyed visiting it. The photos on display are an excellent reflection of Ukrainian society, particularly the Ukrainian people. Each photograph is about people, about individuals. There are no cars, landscapes or other things, just people and the Ukrainian people’s diversity. This exhibit reminds me and my colleagues why we are in Ukraine. We are here to help Ukraine improve its social and economic condition.”

Jon-Christer OLANDER, Ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine:

“I have seen The Day’s photo exhibits the past three years. I don’t know whether my impressions are correct, but this time I saw less politics then in the previous years. I don’t know why. I am most impressed by the photographers’ professional skill. I also liked photos capturing scenes from daily life in the countryside. Here you find a lot of elderly people and you can see that they have worked hard all their life, yet they look dignified and satisfied with the way they live, however difficult it may be.

“There are many photos on display showing children at play, but there is a photo showing children who got killed in Beslan. You see desperate parents and complete incomprehension of what has occurred.”

Jacek KLUCZKOWSKI, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Ukraine:

“I think that a country should at times be seen through someone else’s eyes. This exhibit is an example of how various press photographers draw our attention to various matters. Here you can see interesting things: villages, breakdowns, disasters, accidents. I think that this allows one to see this country from a different angle. The selection of these photos shows empathy, certain moments, certain events. The organizers of this exhibit and those who selected the photos strove to convey some intrigue. I think that this project is very useful and interesting.”

Algirdas KUMZHA, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine:

“You can judge by my mood that this exhibit is quite cheerful. I saw a cheerful Ukraine. Many photos portray weddings, children, expectant mothers. In one photo President Viktor Yushchenko is touching a pregnant woman’s stomach (she must be in her eighth or even ninth month). My impression is that this exhibit is about Ukraine’s future. Also, there is a lot of good humor. In my opinion, if Ukrainians can look at themselves from a humorous angle, this country is invincible and has a great future.”