Merlin Green Frames 2024 culminates in a gala award ceremony
The second edition of ‘Merlin Green Frames 2024’, a live nature photography contest, concluded with a grand award ceremony and winter carnival at Merlin Aquaville. The event celebrated the creativity of nature enthusiasts and photographers while reinforcing the message of environmental conservation.
The gala award ceremony awarded winners across various categories:
Grand Prize: Mohona Sengupta (Rs 41,000)
‘Landscape’ Category: Winner - Aniket Saha (Rs 11,000); Runner-up - Partha Mukherjee (Rs 7,000)
‘Birds’ Category: Winner - Shibashis Roy Chowdhury (Rs 11,000); Runner-up - Subhas Dasgupta (Rs 7,000)
‘Life in Action’ Category: Winner - Shubayan Saha (Rs 11,000); Runner-up - Shibashis Roy Chowdhury (Rs 7,000)
‘Flora & Fauna’ Category: Winner - Dipayan Das (Rs 11,000); Runner-up - Subhas Dasgupta (Rs 7,000)
‘Macro’ Category: Winner - Suman Banerjee (Rs 11,000); Runner-up - Pradipta Maulik (Rs 7,000)
Special Host Award: Akash Shah (Rs 15,000)
The contest, held on November 10 at Merlin Aquaville and Ibiza: The Fern Resort & Spa in Merlin Greens, near IIM Joka, Kolkata, attracted over 90 participants. The lush setting of Ibiza provided the perfect canvas for photographers to capture breathtaking scenes of flora, fauna and unique bird species such as the White-Eyed Munia, Sunbirds, Red-Vented Bulbul, Kingfishers, Baya Weaver, Egret and Woodpeckers.
The initiative was supported by the Indian Photographic Academy as the knowledge partner and guided by esteemed mentor and judge, Sandipan Mukherjee, a renowned photographer and author. Workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions led by experts enriched participants with valuable skills in nature photography.
Earlier, Sushil Mohta, Chairman of ‘Merlin Group’, expressed hope that this contest would inspire a deeper connection with nature and foster conservation efforts. Adding to the conservation drive, Milan Mondal, Joint Director, JICA, Forest Department, urged tree tagging with scientific names at Ibiza, emphasising its importance in conservation education.
The event concluded with an announcement of plans to exhibit selected photographs at Acropolis Mall, offering the public a glimpse into the mesmerizing beauty of nature captured by the participants.
