Vantaa invites residents to participate in a photography competition

The Vantaa Museum Photo Marathon will take place on 11 September as part of the European Heritage Days

This year, the Finnish City of Vantaa is organising a “photo marathon” in collaboration with the municipality’s museums. Both amateurs and professionals will be invited to take part in the Vantaa Museum Photo Marathon on 11 September 2021. Participation will be free of charge and photographers are welcome to take part as individuals, couples, or groups.

On the day, the Finnish Aviation Museum will publish the subjects or topics which the participants will be tasked with photographing. Attendees will have 12 hours (from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm) to take pictures using any device they choose: digital camera, tablet, phone, drone, etc.

A focus on heritage

According to the City of Vantaa, the marathon is part of the 2021 European Heritage Days, whose theme is “Heritage: All Inclusive”. Expanding on this, the municipality further disclosed that the aim of the marathon is not to merely document modern-day Vantaa but to encourage photographers to look at their city and heritage in a new way.

Maiju Hautamäki from the Vantaa City Museum discussed this, noting: “By photographing, you can find new things in your surroundings and learn to appreciate small details or large entities in the city.” In other words, the primary motive is to remind residents of Vantaa’s beauty and heritage.

Winners will be announced on 16 September

It is important to highlight that the photo marathon will consist of two series: digital and Instagram. Although both will be free and open to all, interested parties must register to participate in the digital series by 9 September. Those who choose to register for this series will have their photographs assessed by a jury after the marathon. Subsequently, three photographs will be awarded on 16 September.

To participate in the Instagram series, one must simply post images with the event’s hashtag #vantaanfotomaraton. The photographs will not be assessed by a jury; however, participants will be able to draw prizes for each category. The winners of the draw will also be announced on 16 September.