Christmas National Salon 2020
The joyful event of Christmas this year has been very special to the enthusiastic photographers in Kolkata and rest of India for one more reason. When COVID 19 pandemic has restricted our social gatherings during this Christmas, Christmas National Salon 2020 has connected photography lovers across the nation through a digital photography salon. This colorful photography salon on the occasion of Christmas has been organised by Clickerz Community of Kolkata, India. Federation of Indian Photography (FIP) has approved this national level photography competition (approval id: 2020/FIP/208/2020). Pixel Clash, a Photography Salon Software has hosted this salon digitally on the web.
Clickerz Community is a Kolkata based photography club that organises several photography related events like salons, exhibitions, workshops throughout the year. The club members in this club is related to photography. All the members work like family members for the promotion of the art of photography in and across the nation. The club always encourages amateur and professional photographers to bring their creative talents into photography. Through their photography salons, they appreciate, award and motivate the emerging photographers and their best works. Apart from organising salons, the club arranges workshop, photo walk, photo tour, webinar, and several other events for uniting the freshers in this field with the maestros of photography. Photography exhibitions organised by Clickerz Community is directed to bring the best talents in this field into limelight. Christmas National Salon 2020 is the first photography contest organised by the society. The present salon is approved by FIP, however they are going to organise more national and international level salons and circuits approved by FIP and PSA in future.
Christmas National Salon 2020 is organised by Clickerz Community for making an integrated platform for the photographers of the age.This salon is an initiative of the passionate photographers of the age not only for aesthetic purpose, there is a noble mission behind the event. The salon is organised by Clickerz Community for the purpose of charity. The earning from Christmas National Salon 2020 will go directly for the medical expenses for chemotherapy of a cancer patient. Mr. Sumit Mukherjee, the Salon chairman, has confirmed that all the future endeavours of Clickerz Community like national and international salons and circuit will be organised in order to serve the humanity. The earnings from all these events will be spent for noble causes. Mr. Mukherjee also shares his happiness to work with Pixel Clash for hosting the salon digitally during the time of pandemic. According to the Salon Chairman, the Salon received overwhelming responses from across the nation. Many reputed photography clubs like Photography Society of Madras, and Photography Society of Assam participate in this event with much enthusiasm.
The closing date of this salon is 7 December 2020 and the judgment is done on 12 December 2020. The notification over mail and web is done on 25 December 2020, on the auspicious event of Christmas. The public exhibition of the photographs is scheduled for 13 February 2021 to 14 February 2021. SDAS will be submitted on 4 February 2021. E-Catalogues and awards will be dispatched from 15 January 2021. This salon has brought maestros of photography in their jury panel. The jury panel includes Mr. Suman Bhattacharyya – MPSA, ARPS, EFIAP/b, Mr. Abhijit Dey – EFIAP, FFIP, Hon.IUP, Hon.PCA, Ms. Manasi Roy – EPSA, EFIAP, EFIP, cMoL, GPA.PESGSPC, Hon.PESGSPC, and Mr. Niladri Dhara – EFIP. Mr. Sumit Mukherjee has presided the chair of the salon’s Chairman.
Christmas National Salon 2020 has five sections and they are: Open Colour (PIDC), Open Monochrome (PIDM), Nature (ND), Photo Travel (PT), and Theme – People On Street (Colour & Monochrome). This salon has a total 100 number of awards. There are total 5 FIP Gold Medals, 5 Club Gold Medals, 5 Club Silver Medals, 5 Club Bronze Medals, 25 FIP Ribbons, 2 Chairman Choice Awards, 1 Special Jury Award, 25 Club CM Awards (PDF), Top 3 Best Club Trophies, 2 Best Young Entrant Medals, 2 Best Women Entrant Medals, 2 Best Senior Entrant Medals for top two senior (above 65+ yrs.) entrants. There are few thematic awards in this salon for Best Creative (in Open Colour section), Best Portrait (in Open Monochrome section), Best Action (in Nature section), Best Festival (in Photo Travel section), and 1 Medal for Best Candid photo for the theme People on Street. Finally there is 1 Overall Best Entrant Trophy.
Result
The award and acceptance list of Christmas National Salon 2020 features a number of extraordinary photographs from the lens of professional and emerging photographers in India. The salon announces three trophies for three best clubs which are YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY (1st best club), PLAAPA (2nd best club), and PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF MADRAS (3rd best club). DURBA MAZUMDAR, NAMRATA MUKHERJEE, and SATHYANARAYANA C.R. received overall best entrants’ awards. ANAGHA MOHAN has been awarded as the 1st Best Young Entrant and KASTURI KUVALEKAR has received the 2nd Best Young Entrant Medal. Clikerz Community announced two awards for two best women entrants for encouraging female photographers in India. DURBA MAZUMDAR, and NAMRATA MUKHERJEE have received these awards as two best women entrants. ASIM KUMAR CHAUDHURI and SUPRIYA GHOSH have received 1st best senior entrant medal and 2nd best senior entrant medal respectively.
Christmas National Salon 2020 has experienced so many brilliant pieces of photography in their first photography exhibition. In the Open Monochrome section, KUMAR KRANTI PRASAD receives FIP Gold Medal for the image PATTERN. SOHAM DASGUPTA receives Club Gold Medal in this section for the image CONTOUR1.NAMRATA MUKHERJEE receives Special Award for the theme Best Portrait in the Open Monochrome section for the image PRINCESS.
The Open Colour section of Christmas National salon received so many vibrant, colourful and aesthetically rich photographs from the lens of skilled and amateur photographers from India. DIPTENDU ROY receives FIP Gold Medal in this section for the image DREAMLAND. DURBA MAZUMDAR receives Club Gold medal in the same section for her image THE WRITER. NILANJAN RAY receives the best award for the Creative Photography in Open Colour section for the image ENDLESS DREAMS.
The Nature section of Christmas National Salon 2020 is filled with photographs of diverse themes and subjects. SURAJEET RAJKHOWA receives FIP Gold award for the image GANGETIC RIVER DOLPHIN. AJIT HUILGOL receives Club Gold for the photograph CHEETAH FIGHT. The special prize in this section is for the Theme Best- Action. SAMIR SACHDEVA receives this special prize for the image A FISHY FLIGHT.
The awarded and accepted photographs in the Photo Travel section of Christmas National Salon 2020 have brought diverse culture, ritual, and celebration from every corner of India. PRITAM DAS receives FIP Gold medal for the image CHOT PUJA. ARNAB BHOWMICK receives Club Gold for the image DRAGON BOAT 01. SUBASH BAHADUR receives the Special Award for the theme – Best festival in Photo Travel section for his image ONCE IN TWELVE YEARS ANOINTING.
Street Photography is an emerging genre among the contemporary photographers. Christmas National Salon 2020 has introduced a theme section in their salon named People on Street. SOUMEN MONDAL receives FIP Gold medal in this section for the image FROWNS AND SMILES. DIBYENDU CHAKRABORTY’s photo MIGRANT LABOUR has brought him Club Gold medal in this theme section. SUMIT CHAKRABORTY receives the award for Best Candid photograph in People on Street section for his photograph UNDER THE RAIN. Click on the following button for the complete list of awards and acceptances:
Source of the cover image and information: the official website of Christmas National Salon 2020
