After less than a year, invited children – the winners of the Creative Competition for Digital Photography and Short Film – were invited to Banska Bystrica for children of Slovaks living abroad. On 12 – 15 June 2017, an expert commission composed of Mgr. art. Lukáš Matejka, ArtD. (TRAKT) and BcA. Matej Mazák (TRAKT) in cooperation with the main organizer of Matej Bel’s Methodological Center for Children, besides interesting prices, also a photo workshop in the plenary of the picturesque UNESCO village Vlkolínec and workshop of luminography in Banská Bystrica. In addition, children from primary and secondary schools from Serbia, Croatia and Romania worked during their stay on micro topics such as Portrait photography or Face Search (see below). The prizes and diplomas were personally prof. Milota Havrankova awarded the winner of the photographic category (LANDSCAPE, TRADITION AND SLOVAK ROOTS, EXPERIMENT) and video categories (FREE THEME). The competition was also evaluated by the Jury’s expert opinion:

The photographic and film work of the enrolled pupils was again at a good level. An interesting aspect that appeared was the nature and man. A special moment of interconnecting children with nature can be seen in the photos. In the global sense, it could be said that the nature of the competition is and will be the nature, relationships and bonds of man and nature. The jury surprised the ability of young students and students to find and find details, structures and interesting compositions. Take the camera or camera and look at the world with other eye-catching eyes. From all these pictures, it is possible to create an image of the environment in which the children live, of their relations with them, but also of the relations between them. Children’s perceptions of the jury have convinced that children from abroad have come very close to each other.

Static and moving images are gradually coming from classic digital cameras and cameras to mobile phones, giving them a new look and versatility. These new mobile forms offer fairly accessible space for the development of creativity, inventiveness and creativity. The competition of photography and short film productions has an increasing tendency of interest every year for pupils and students of Slovaks living abroad. The concept is undergoing constant thematic innovation for each year of the competition and thus attracting new young artists. The competition section is based on three photographic and one film categories.

The most prominent representation this year, 141 photos, has the category “Landscape”, which brought above standard standard. Surprisingly, a lot of sensitive approaches to composite pictures. In this category, children focused on photographing the aforementioned flora. The smallest photos 56 include the category “Searching Traditions and Slovak Roots”. This is a topic that needs to be put on and ready to capture every moment that comes under the camera lens. The one that seems to be interesting. The child’s eye is curious, the details of the ordinary eye are often blind and unknown. This was confirmed by the last third category “Experiment” with. The “Winter Landscape” photo surprised the melancholy that emanates from it. A shade of white, losing in a hillside with a river composed on the left side of the image. Haze creates a game with depth of 112 unconventional images. The prize-winning nine photographs and the prize of the rector of Matej Bel University for the overall collection of author’s photographs are a great cross-section of the competition and prove that the photo still has its loyal young supporters.

In the category “Short film and animation”, nature does not dominate the themes as the theme of free children has chosen their own themes and themes. The 55 videos logged show the growth of interest in motion in the image. Formally, a number of stop-motion animations (pixels) were entered into the contest, which pleased the jury. Children used the potential of this form of animation and used the imagination to revive the inanimate. They chanted banal themes shifted mostly formally into witty exaggeration. On the other hand, they were just videos with an attempt at a deeper subject, with narrative work, compositional play, and last but not least symbolic. The fact that children have taken this time in a more demanding way is considered courageous and their works proved that this category can be very creative.

The evaluation of the work has become fun because it will always be pleased if comparable works are found in the competition, among which it is difficult to choose. Children who have participated and those who win have a talented eye and feel. And perhaps this sensitive eye can see things otherwise lacking in the elders. Very important, however, is the experience gained by all the young creators. We are glad that this competition has become a creative and cultural engine in developing relationships and we believe that all the authors will take on valuable experiences from their competition and professional stay, which they will make use of in their next artistic creation.