Between April and June 2010, the Russian Geographical Society hosted on its website a photography contest titled “Scenic Russia”.
There were no restrictions as to who could take part in the contest: people from all countries, of all ages, of all professional backgrounds, regardless of whether they are professional or amateur photographers could submit their works. The only must was to be able to see the unique beauty of Russian nature and have the talent to capture it in a photograph.
The themes of the photographs had to correspond with the theme of the contest. These could be landscapes, photographs of plants, wild animals and birds, architecture, and so on. Photographs of pets and portraits were not considered.
The pictures, selected by the jury, were published in the contest section on the Russian Geographical Society’s website. Every contestant could submit no more than two photographs.
“Scenic Russia” drew hundreds of photographers from all corners of the country. In total, 85 works were selected by the jury. The jury was surprised and happy that so many people responded. Among them were not only professional travellers, keen on telling their stories, but also ordinary people wanting to share their love for the places they live in. Now, the Russian Geographical Society is planning to hold the contest on a regular basis and create some additional contest categories.
The results of the contest were announced in July. The Society handed out three awards : one of winners was chosen by the jury, another was chosen by the site visitors, who voted for the best shot, and there also was a special prize in the category “The Photographer’s Luck”.
The Southern Urals and the Altai Mountains, the Western Sayan Mountains and the Alash Plateau, deer in the Extreme North and Kamchatka’s acid lakes, an old German fortress in Kaliningrad and Kuzminki park in Moscow…Looking through the photos from all over Russia one can’t help but wonder: is this one single country? The diversity of landscapes is striking, but what’s even more striking is that there are so many people who are able to see and capture this beauty.
Lada Krasavina, one of the contestants, commented on her work: “I’ve had a chance to visit many beautiful places on our planet. But nature is so diverse and wonderful, that you can go out and find yourself in a magical world even in the middle of a Moscow’s residential district. You simply have to keep your eyes open. “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”, as Oscar Wilde put it. ”
