Lithuanians in the News
19th January, 2007
Results Announced in the Photographic Competition "Lithuanians in the World"
Winning photo: "Men’s games (Vyrų žaidimai)"
by Vladimiras Pranckūnas (Spain)
Winners have just been announced in the photographic competition, organised by the Department of National Minorities and Lithuanians Living Abroad (Tautinių mažumų ir išeivijos departamentas - TMID), attached to the Government of Lithuania. The competition had received 800 entries from more than 20 countries in the world, including quite a number from
"Glance at Lithuania from nearby"
by Alvydas Tamošiūnas (Belgium) won
the website visitors first prize
Australia. The ten best photos were judged by a Commission, formed from representatives of Lithuanian Photographers Association, Lithuanian Press Photographers Club and the "Fotos" studio. The winning photo was "Men’s games (Vyrų žaidimai)" by Vladimiras Pranckūnas (Spain).
Visitors to the TMID website were invited to vote for one of 90 selected photos, with 10 from Australia among the selection. During the voting period the TMID website received almost 3,000 visitors. "Earth mother" by Ieva (Eve) Puodžiūnaitė - Wicks (from Brisbane) was placed among the ten best works by TMID website visitors. The website visitors first prize
"Earth mother" by Eve Puodžiūnaitė - Wicks (Brisbane)
was placed among the ten best works by
TMID website visitors
was won by "Glance at Lithuania from nearby (Pažvelk į Lietuvą iš arčiau)" by Alvydas Tamošiūnas (Belgium) and the photo’s subject matter is the scale model of Vilnius University erected in the Mini Europe Park in Brussels (please see the news item of July 22, 2006 in SLIC News Archive).
"Earth mother" is a portrait of Barbora Žygienė, born 1912 in Obeliai, Lithuania, at home in her vegetable garden, at Rocklea, Brisbane. Describing her love of gardening Barbora said: "I worked very hard from a young age. I couldn’t go to school. When I was seven I worked on a farm, milking cows and washing for a family. I like working in the garden. I give flowers and vegetables to my family, and for the Lithuanian community lunch." Writing in "Lietuvos Žinios" Liucija
"Crocodile hunters" by Balys Malinauskas,
collected and restored by Eve Puodžiūnaitė - Wicks
Armonaitė declared that in the competition Eve’s works stand out. "Earth mother" and other photos by Eve in the competition were first displayed in the outstanding exhibition "Refuge Under a Southern Cross - The Lithuanian Migrant Experience in Queensland", which was held at Queensland Museum in South Bank, Brisbane. That exhibition was so successful, that its opening was extended well beyond the four weeks originally planned and it was open 19 February - 5 June 2005.
Among the 90 selected works for voting was the very interesting "Crocodile hunters" by Balys Malinauskas, collected and restored by Eve Puodžiūnaitė - Wicks. For a complete list of the winning photographs, including the selected ones in the finals, please go to the TMID website www.tmid.lt, and then go to "Nuotraukų konkursas".

Further information: "Lietuvos Žinios" www.lzinios.lt 18/01/07