Aspire launches photography contest as part of kite festival

Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) has announced the launch of a photography competition that will see amateur and professional photographers in Qatar compete for a chance to win prizes and be crowned as the 2018 Aspire International Kite Festival Photography Competition winner.The competition will be held for the first time on the sidelines of the second Aspire International Kite Festival from March 6 to 9, AZF has said in a statement.This year’s Aspire International Kite Festival “promises to be one of the largest kite festivals in the world and is expected to attract thousands of visitors,” the statement notes, adding that “there will be plenty to capture” during the event.The competition has been organised in collaboration with Qatar Photographic Society, opening the doors to their membership of more than 1,000 professionals. It is also expected to attract hundreds of amateur photography enthusiasts from across Qatar.Ahmed al-Khulaifi, chairman of Qatar Photographic Society, said:  “We would like to extend the invitation to all professional and amateur photographers in Qatar and ask them to come and demonstrate their talent and capture this beautiful sport that connects Qatar’sdiverse local communities.“Aspire Park is the perfect venue for this amazing festival and photography competition, and we’re sure that those who enter and attend the festival will have no shortage of opportunities to capture some amazingly creative andcolourful shots.”“Aspire Park is also the perfect venue for photographers, with its vast open spaces and diverse landscape providing an ideal opportunity for photographers to use different lenses, angles and lighting throughout the day.”The competition will be open to all who are 10 years old and above, according to AZF. It will accept 3-5 high-quality photographs, without any watermarks or personal information, on a CD in JPEG or TIFF 300 DPI format for every individual submission. The use of photo editing programmes such as Adobe Photoshop shall be limited to minor colour touches.The conditions will be announced on Aspire Zone’s ‘Life in Aspire’ website, www.lifeinaspire.qa, and AZF’s social media websites.A business class plane ticket to a destination of their choice will be awarded to the first-place winner of the 2018 Aspire International Kite Festival Photography Competition. The second-place winner will receive two economy class plane tickets, while the third- and fourth-place winners will each receive a professional camera, the statement points out.AZF stressed that many international teams have expressed their enthusiasm for this year’s event, including an Italian team that participated in last year’s festival. They described their experience in 2017 as “unforgettable”.The Italian trio of Aquilonisti Eolo Gubbio, Andrea Baffoni and Moreno Lauri said “the first edition was a truly amazing experience” and that taking part in the festival and coming to Qatar for the first time ever was “so special as we were given the opportunity to meet so many amazing people”.Meanwhile, Singapore Kite Association president Wing Lee, whose organisation helped with workshops and presentations for students and public in 2017, said:  “Those who took part in last year’s event recognised the thrill and excitement of flying a kite immediately after construction in their workshops. Their radiant smiles brought immediate satisfaction to the instructors.”  The returning French kite flier, Roger Tessa-Gambassi, who bagged the second place last year, said what encouraged him to participate again was that he felt like he was taking part in a festival that “would one day become one of the world’sleading kits festivals”.The 2017 edition of the festival attracted more than 40,000 people and the event has since become a milestone in Aspire Zone’s annual events calendar. It reflects the organisation’s capabilities and expertise in delivering a unique combination of sports and entertainment, the statement added.