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‘Best of Russia – 2016’ in Pictures | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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PHOTO: BEST OF RUSSIA 2016/VITALIJ NOVIKOV


Moscow- A new edition of the photography contest themed “Best of Russia – 2016” has kicked off in Moscow. Launched in 2008, this contest is a photography exhibition that focuses on featuring all the country’s aspects of life through photographs.

The Russian Federation is characterized with a unique diversification and a huge geographical area, with each region enjoying unique characteristics. This huge territory has many cultures, which have maintained their national traditions and have interacted with different social structures that surround them.

It can be easy to feature aspects of life in Russia in books of history and geography or in social and economic researches and studies. However, showing this uniqueness through photographs is not a simple mission and requires many efforts from the contest’s participants who should never drop the camera from their hand.

This year, 300 pictures will be selected to compete for the Best Picture prize in different categories, covering nature, society, childhood, and others.

Participants are not only professional photographers. The rules of “Best of Russia – 2016” allow amateurs to show their art.

This contest is not only a photography project, but a study aiming to create a social and psychological portrait for Russia, said Lina Krasnyanskaya, senior organizer of the event.

She added that it’s easy to find reality in these pictures, which are not necessarily taken by a professional photographer, but by an individual who often makes part of the photographed event.

Photos exhibited in the show reflect a sort of spontaneity. Among the participants of the contest was award-winning Valeria Sharifulina from TASS Agency. Sharifulina introduced a picture taken during a championship in Moscow, and another taken from the Russian political scene featuring Valentina Petrenko, member of the Federal Council during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.