Sri Lanka Tourism holds photography contest to promote destination

Sri Lanka Tourism collaborated with Cinnamon Hotels to encourage local and foreign photographers to highlight their talent and capture unique locations of Sri Lanka, to fascinate the world, by providing prize money to winners of the Cinnamon Photography Contest 2017. 

The Cinnamon Photography Contest, which was initiated in 2016 at the World Travel Market, (WTM) London, highlighted more than 3000 images of Sri Lanka, photographed with excellent skill and patience.

The Cinnamon Travel Photography & Videography Awards is a bi-annual competition, celebrating the best photography and videography captured in Sri Lanka by an individual of any nationality andat any levelof experience. The participants contested under several categories. 

The ceremony was held under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sutheash Balasubramaniam , Vice President, John Keels Group and Head of  Brand Marketing,  Dileep Mudadeniya, along with  distinguished officials from respective organizations. A large number of amateur and professionals in photographers were also present at this occasion.

The prize awards included Grand prize of US$ 5,000, Category winners US$ 3,500, Videography winner US$ 2,500.  Contestants from all over the island represented six categories, including the Grand Award, which was the Sri Lanka Tourism Photographic Grand Award, won by Raveendra Siriwardene. 

The other categories included the Sri Lanka Tourism Landscape Cityscapes photography award, won by ChamikaJanithPerera, Sri Lanka Tourism Interior Photography award, won by Kaveen Jayawardene, Sri Lanka Tourism Nature, Wildlife and Marine Photography award, which was won by Raveendra Siriwardene,  Sri Lanka Tourism activity and Adventure Photography award by Yamuni Perera, and Sri Lanka Tourism Photo Essay award won by Riddhi Parekh and Sri Lanka Tourism  Culture and People photography award  won by Shehan Trek. 
The judging panel consisted of renowned international and local photography professionals including Karl Taylor, Ami Vitale, Paul Goldstein, Chitral Jayathilake, Gehan Desilva Wijeyrathne and Dinesh  Khanna. The selection criteria included two segments including the local and international judging process. 

This effort by Sri Lanka Tourism will encourage photographers across Sri Lanka totake tourism towards a new dimension by highlighting vibrant images of Sri Lanka to the global spotlight.   

The ceremony proceeded with the welcome address made by Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sutheash Balasubramaniam , and the speech of Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga, who expressed the importance of such events to establish a vivid and a colorful image of Sri Lanka as a exiting  holiday destination with so much to see and explore. Vice President and Head of Brand Marketing at the John Keels Group, Dileep Mudadeniya also addressed the gathering.