Two Winners of Photo Contest for 2018 Calendar Announced

Riga, Latvia, August 18, 2017, 18:09 / Banking

Yesterday, on 17 August, at ABLV Bank headquarters the signing copyright agreements with the winners of photo contest for ABLV 2018 calendar took place. The winners are Jānis Paļulis with his series of photos “Beauty of Mighty Nature” and Imants Urtāns with his collection of “Stories of Daugava”.

We presented them the collection of our calendars for the last five years as a souvenir and 3,000 euros will be paid to each of them as royalty.

The history of black&white calendars in ABLV starts in 2013. Following the idea of calendar as album of art works, every year we were inviting famous Latvian photographers who were creating collections of black-and-white photos exclusively for us. 2017 was an exception, when we worked with Gunārs Binde to create a calendar “Children” using the photos that were taken by this photographer over the years of his career.

The collection of the bank includes by now five calendars with black-and-white photos. Turning the pages of the past, we can surely say that all photos are filled with stories and represent artistic value. 2013 calendar was consisting of photos by Jānis Deinats. The photos were telling the story of beauty of the nature. In 2014, our calendar was offering Valts Kleins’ point of view on “Round Horizon” telling the stories taken by camera of a mobile phone. Next year Raimo Lielbriedis made a collection revealing the story of harmony of light and shade. In 2016, Victor Deshchenko’s “Illusion of Reality” collection in our calendar was telling us about the illusion of reality and reality of illusion. And finally in 2017, the calendar was showing photos of children with each of them having their own story behind the captured moment.

In August 2016 we announced an open photo contest, which was eventually participated by more than 100 photographers. In six months, we received 45 collections of black-and-white photos. Among the contestants there were young photographers making their first steps into the field and the great masters of Latvian photography. We received very different works: some dedicated to Riga, some revealing the beauty of human being, more than a dozen were inspired by the beauty of the nature.

Following the selection results, two leaders were determined: Jānis Paļulis with his series of photos “Beauty of Mighty Nature” and Imants Urtāns with his collection of photos “Stories of Daugava”. Taking into consideration the high artistic value of the works, the jury decided to double the winners’ pot and acquire the series by both photographers.

Whose photos will be included in 2018 calendar? You will find it out when the Christmas time comes and the printed calendars arrive.

Signing agreements with both winners and congratulations
Jānis Paļulis “Beauty of Mighty Nature”
Imants Urtāns “Stories of Daugava”