Etisalat has announced that it will be partnering with the African Arts Foundation (AAF) for the third year on the annual Lagos Photo Festival, to create a platform where aspiring photographers in Nigeria can express their talent through a photography competition, which is set to come in Lagos in October.

This year, Etisalat and Lagos Photo will utilise multiple web-based platforms and social media such as Twitter, facebook and the Lagos Photo Festival’s website to reach a larger audience, making it easier for the public to follow and to be a part of the activities of the festival.

The theme of this year’s competition is, “The Essence of Attitude” and it focuses on giving the participants the opportunity to express their creativity.

Head, High Value, Sponsorship and Events, Etisalat Nigeria, Ebi Atawodi, stated that the Etisalat brand was all about expression of attitude and creativity, adding that this would be exemplified through the competition.

She said that as an innovative company, Etisalat would always remain at the forefront of creative initiatives that not only highlight the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria, but also its development.

According to the organisers, the mechanics of the competition would be online based as participants will post their image entries on Twitter using the name ‘@LagosPhotFest’ followed by the hash-tag ‘#etisalatphotocompetition’ which would constitute a valid entry. Photographs can be captured either with a digital camera or through a mobile phone. Only Entries sent on Twitter will be considered valid.

The judging panel for the competition will comprise of select members from the photography community as well as other creative individuals. Judges will choose the winning three photographs to be printed and featured at the Lagos photo festival grand opening ceremony.

The first prize winner of the competition will go home with N100,000 and a Galaxy Tab, while the second prize winner will go home with N75,000, a Blackberry phone and a modem and the third prize winner walks away with N50,000 and an Etisalat Gaga Smartphone.