By Abigail Headley
The top 20 winners in the Ministry of Tourism’s Snap n Share 57 photography competition received their prizes yesterday.
The first place winner, Luke McKenna, received $100,000, a trip for two to Kaieteur Falls, and a dinner for two at the Marriott Hotel. His photo was taken at Wichabai Ranch in Region Nine and depicted a small boy petting an agouti.
McKenna was not present at yesterday’s awards ceremony. Judging in the competition was on the basis of likes on the ministry’s Facebook page.
The second place winner was Lynmarie De’metro and her entry showcased a creek that flowed from the Nappi Falls in Region Nine. De’metro, a teacher, told the small audience that her photo was birthed when she gave her students a trip to her village as an incentive for their co-operation with her. Her prizes were a cellular phone from GTT, $75,000 cash and a day tour along the Essequibo River.
In third place was Candecy Peterson whose photo depicted a dog lying at the helm of a canoe overlooking the calm waters of the Kako River, Region Seven. She received $50,000, a two-night package to Karanambo, and dinner for two at the Marriott Hotel.
Depictions of Kaieteur Falls and a view of Rockstone by fourth place winner, Cheddi Ramsuchit and fifth place winner, Shazam Somwar) earned them $30,000 and $25,000 cash respectively. While Ramsuchit was also presented with a weekend for two at Baganara, Somwar was granted the weekend rental of a Suzuki Vitara from ANSA Motors.
Sinteia Dharamraj, who came in sixth, received $15,000 cash, a Berbice day tour, and lunch for two, the latter compliments of ANSA Motors. Her photo depicted the Potaro – Amatuk River, overlooking the Ebini Mountain Range.
The other winners: Jenell Fredericks, Jeremy Singh, Amisha Simon, Michael Lovell, Eriel De Souza, Narendra Persaud, Anzar Nazardin, Chris Elliman, Mark Glasgow, Wayne Jacobs, Magaiva Gonsalves, Naveen Kirpilani, Dakari Jordan, and Alison Jordan, each received a $10,000 cash prize along with other incentives.
Senior Communications Manager of the Tourism Ministry, Cordell McClure said that many of the photos were eliminated from the competition because they were either edited, uncategorized, or had composition issues. Added to this, he said that some photos portrayed a lot of unnecessary brands while in others the subject (people) were more prominent than the scenery.
Speaking at the ceremony, held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond congratulated the winners and stated that the ministry is looking to up the ante for the prize-giving, in the form of “maybe a scholarship or a course for travel photography”. This she said will help to give exposure to those competitors for whom photography is just a hobby. Walrond added that they are also looking at attaching an equipment prize, particularly suitable for adventure and travel photography.
The minister also disclosed that the ministry will soon be introducing the Tourism Product Development Grant Programme. This programme will be aimed at encouraging members of the public to formulate ideas and proposals for tourist experiences in Guyana. She said that grants will be awarded based on how innovative and beneficial and successful the experience is and how easily it can be implemented.
“It’s incentivizing innovation in the tourism industry. That is what we want to see, more of us engaging in our tourism product,” she noted, while thanking everyone for their engagement, especially the sponsors who were not sought out but came forth voluntarily to donate prizes. Walrond encouraged Guyanese to travel to all parts of Guyana and “go with your camera”.
The Snap n Share Competition has been spearheaded by McClure since its introduction in 2021, with the aim of promoting tourism to locals in Guyana and in observance of the country’s Independence Anniversary celebrations. McClure noted that from 2022 to this year, the winning photo has moved from 2700 likes to 3500 likes. He observed that the competition was dominated by photos from Region Nine, with some from Regions Six, Seven, Nine and Ten, and encouraged more contributions from around Georgetown in the upcoming year.
