By Heidi Trautmann
On February 19, the Jury for the 5th Öztan Özatay Photo Competition was invited to the Golden Tulip Hotel in Nicosia to determine the winners of this year 2013. The jury members were Prof.Dr. Özer Kanburoğlu, Aclan Uraz from Turkey and Veysi Soyer from Cyprus.
There were altogether 703 entries by 93 participants, a little less than last year; with 73 participants and 374 works in the colour category, 186 entries by 46 competitors in the black and white category and 143 entries by 29 competitors in the new nature and landscape category; a fourth category included in the colour and black and white categories was children; altogether a very good result. I am looking forward to see the exhibition.
At the exhibition opening on March 19 until March 30 we shall see the works selected as worthy for the show (95 works by 46 participants) among them the winners to whom the prizes – cameras and money - will be presented.
But now to the winners: two of them, the two first mentioned ones, were already present at last year’s competition;
Hakan Kaşif with Dance 1 in the colour category with an excellent presentation of dance.
Mustafa Evirgen with works in two categories, in colour: The Look and in black and white: Unfortunate;
Şefika Karaderi Öszoy was chosen for her nature/landscape photo Autumn Sadness and
with Writing of Hope Münnever Nizam Kahvecisoy won the prize in the children category.
A special Öztan Özatay Prize was given to Hasan Bağlar for his work Zeybeks, two praying mantis; and a special Türkish Bank Prize was given to Mehmet Gökyiğit for The Thin Line, a beautiful landscape photo.
Öztan Özatay who had served Turkish Cypriot photography for all his life and died much too young, would be very pleased that the initiative his children had undertaken was so successful.
The opening of the exhibition is on March 19 at 19:00 hrs at the Atatürk Cultural Centre in Nicosia; the exhibition is open until March 30 at governmental office hours.