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Customs and rituals, gatherings and festivities, in a myriad ways, human celebrations have food at their heart... this is the theme captured in the finalists' photographs in the 'Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration' category of the recently announced Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023 awards. As reported previously by Slurrp, the overall winner is Jon Enoch, a UK-based photographer who submitted a portrait of a candy floss seller from Mumbai for the competition.
'Dinner with the King and Queen of Sweden' by Jonas Borg took home the first prize in the 'Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration' category. It depicts Sverigemiddagen, an annual dinner held at the Royal Castle in Stockholm commemorating individual achievers for that year.
As part of our ongoing coverage of the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023, we're taking a look at the seven finalists in this category, whose images capture the vital role of food in celebrations across the board.
'Making Dumplings with Red Bean Paste', by Zhonghua Yang
Photo © Zhonghua Yang and Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
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'Venetians Celebrate!' by Judith Balari
This image was taking during the Venice Carnival in Italy. In the late afternoon participants go to the Florian bar to enjoy appetisers while they chat and meet friends.
Photo © Judith Balari and Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
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'Chinese Spring Festival Folk Custom', by Haikun Liang
The Spring Festival is a unique folk activity in China, where people prepare abundant food for sacrificial activities and pray for favourable weather and a bumper harvest in the coming year.
Photo © Haikun Liang and Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
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'Fasting Festival in the Temple', by Azim Khan Ronnie
Devotees attend prayer, light oil lamps and burn incense before breaking their fast during a religious festival called Rakher Upobash in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Every year thousands of Hindu devotees gather in the Shri Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram temple. The faithful sit in front of candles with food and are absorbed in prayer.
Photo © Azim Khan Ronnie and Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
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'Hooey’s Birthday', by Lisa Flood
Silver-dapple miniature horse Hooey celebrates his 19th birthday in my Wilson, Wyoming cabin with sisters Macy Jane, 7, and Maeve, 9, and poodle El Diablo Blanco . Wearing Easter dresses and cowboy boots, the girls rode their pony inside and outside and the party concluded with a carrot cake which was enjoyed by all.
Photo © Lisa Flood and Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
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'Dinner with the King and Queen of Sweden', by Jonas Borg
Sverigemiddagen (the Dinner of Sweden), an annual event held at the Royal Castle in Stockholm, celebrates individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their local communities. Invited guests are honoured for their achievements and are hosted by the King and Queen of Sweden at a grand dinner.
Photo © Jonas Borg and Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
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'Upobash Festival', by Md Mahabub Hossain Khan
Rakher Upobash is also known as Kartik Brati. It is one of the famous Hindu religious festivals in Bangladesh and is celebrated in Shri Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram in Narayanganj district. Thousands of Hindu devotees gather to celebrate the festival and worshippers fast from morning for this prayer, which means the last meal they had was dinner the previous evening. In the afternoon they start gathering at the temple to secure a place for prayer inside the complex. Both men and women participate in this festival equally.
Photo © Md Mahabub Hossain Khan and Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
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