2nd edition
In the name of God
The 2nd Mazaarat International Photo Festival 2023
Visiting the sacred burial grounds of the pillars of society, great members of community and society's prominent religious figures, alongside paying homage and honoring their memory to receive spiritual blessing has always had a significant place in all religious cultures across the world, and in Islam specifically. It is indeed a presence which provides the basis for connecting to God's all-embracing mercy, as well as purifying one's soul and psyche.
As of now, the most magnificent architectural works of the Islamic world are those that belong to the mausoleums and burials of Islam's eminent religious figures, a fact which in turn, manifests the chief notion of making pilgrimage to such locations.
Given the crucial role the Islamic figures' mausoleums play in expanding the intercultural connections and carrying out the cultural development of the Islamic world, saving the spiritual heritage and Islamic holy pilgrimage sites, Astan Guds Razavi's Art Institution of Afarineshha has decided to hold the 2nd Mazaarat International Photo Festival. Throughout this event, the experience and perseverence of all photographers will be attentively seeked, thus opening new horizons towards recording the glorious moments of prayer in addition to the magnificent instances of architecture.
Festival Director:
Amir-Mahdi Hakimi
The Jury Members:
Dr. Reha Bilir
Dr. Muhammad Sattari
Seyed-Abbas Mir-Hashemi
Dr. Mehdi Moghim-Nejad
Ebrahim Bahrami
Categories:
1. Islamic mausoleums
2. Prayer in divine religions
Regarding the category of Islamic mausoleums:
Art has constantly had a considerable impact on Islamic mausoleums and the customs in which these burials are built on. This category deals with photos which demonstrate the following elements:
•Pilgrimage and devotees in mausoleums
•Topographic photography of mausoleums
•Consecration and vows to God in mausoleums
•Artworks in mausoleums
•Calligraphy in mausoleums
•Inscription in mausoleums
•Verses of Quran in mausoleums
•Islamic names of God (also known as اسماء الله)
•Manifestations of sincerity and reverence towards the Ahl al-Bayt of prophet Muhammad (May Allah honor him and grant him peace)
•Architecture of mausoleums
•The nature and the natural world surrounding mausoleums
•The relation between mausoleums and areas of residence
Important: pictures of mosques are not accepted in this particular category.
Regarding the category of Prayer:
Prayer is the heartfelt connection between humankind and God; and, comprehending the profoundly deep relationship between the Creator and His creation relies on this connection. This category deals with photos which demonstrate the following:
•Various aspects of Namāz, prayer and Dua in divine religions
•The presence of devout believers of different religions in places of worship
•Doing rituals and manifestations of the people in such sacred locations
Regulations and requirements:
1. Mazaarat International Photo Festival is open to, and free for all photographers worldwide.
2. Registration and submissions are solely through the competion's online page available on www.photo.mazaar.net
3. The largest side of the photo must be less than 2000 pixels. That is, neither width nor height of any photo should exceed 2000 pixels.
4. The format of the photos needs to be JPEG, and, maximum size of each photo
should be 2 megabytes.
5. The photos must be a result of the process of photography, by means of professional, compact or mobile phone cameras. In case of submitting a photo resulting from photomontage, all the existing parts of the aforementioned photo must have originally be photographed by the photographer himself.
6. Each photographer is allowed to send 7 photos per category, thus a total of 14 photos all in all.
7. The photos must be based upon the terms and regulations of the festival. Furthermore, each photo can only be sent and applied for one category.
8. The submitted works can be color or black-and-white photos.
9. Submitting a photo and thus applying for the festival is indicative of the fact that the photo is the intellectual property of the
participant. If proven otherwise during any stage, all legal and penal consequences are to be faced by the entrant.
10. The organizer is allowed to use all or parts of the accepted photos in festival-related publications including book, website, exhibition and the like.
11. The book containing the selected works of the festival will be sent to all participants as a PDF file.
12. The photos must contain no writing, such as the title of the photo, name of the photographer or the country of origin.
13. By submitting their work for Mazaarat International Photo Festival, entrants accept all the provisions of these regulations, thereby depriving themselves of any right to object.
14. A certificate of attendence will be issued for participants whose works are selected, and deemed competent for the exhibition.
Timeline:
Registration and submissions start on: May 6, 2023
Submissions close on: June 16, 2023
Judging the entries start on: June 18, 2023
Publishing the results and the nominees for prizes via e-mail: July 1, 2023
Prizes:
•Prayer category
1st prize-winner is awarded the Festival statuette in addition to an appreciation letter +1500€
2nd prize-winner is awarded the Festival statuette in addition to an appreciation letter + 1000€
3rd prize-winner is awarded the Festival statuette in addition to an appreciation letter + 750€
•Mausolea category
1st prize-winner is awarded the Festival statuette in addition to an appreciation letter +1500€
2nd prize-winner is awarded the Festival statuette in addition to an appreciation letter + 1000€
3rd prize-winner is awarded the Festival statuette in addition to an appreciation letter + 750€
•Festival Director Special Prize
Selected by the director of the festival, one contestant will win the Festival statuette in addition to an appreciation letter + 1000€