Nature Photographer of the Year 2012

Chaaya Wild Yala, in collaboration with Etisalat Sri Lanka hosted the annual 'Chaaya Wild - Etisalat Nature Photographer 2012' competition and exhibition for the third consecutive time this year. The competition attracted over 800 entries this year.

Overall winner Asela Karunaratne receiving the winning prize

The competition was conducted under two main categories, namely adults and juniors.

The adult competition was open to participants above 16 years of age and the submission categories were: behaviour of mammals, behaviour of birds, other wildlife and wild and scenic places. The overall winner of the adult competition Asela Karunarathne received a cash prize of Rs. 75,000, a complementary weekend voucher for two at Chaaya Wild Yala and a Huawei Tab from Etisalat.

This year a title winner was not chosen from the Junior Category as the judges felt the images presented to them were not of the required standard. However, Minura Perera was adjudged as the first place winner of the Junior Category and received Rs. 10,000 in cash, a complementary weekend voucher at Chaaya Wild Yala as well as a Huawei Tab from Etisalat.

This year's competition also had a special category for Instagram users, the very popular photo sharing social network. The winner of the Instagram competition Kasun was also awarded a Huawei Tab from Etisalat plus a weekend voucher for two at Chaaya Wild Yala.

While the main aim of the competition was to recognise outstanding nature photography, it also aimed to increase awareness on nature conservation by providing a platform for nature photographers all over the island to showcase their skills.

Lalith Ekanayake-Wildlife	Dr Janaka Gallangoda-Behaviour of Mammals	Kassapa Jayasinghe-Wild and scenic places