FOUR Slovaks, Ivan Čaniga, Ján Štovka, Gabriel Lipták and Ján Hladík, received the top European titles in photography: the QEP (Qualified European Photographer) a Master QEP. For the first time ever, the evaluation itself did not take place in Western Europe, but at the MassMedia Centre of the Pan-European University in Bratislava.
“These awards are famous and accepted in the whole world of photography,” Marian Pauer of the Pan-European University told the TASR newswire on December 11. Čaniga and Štovka won the Master QEP certificate, which is the top European award for professional photographers, while Lipták and Hladík garnered the QEP, the second-tier photographer award. The titles are awarded by the Federation of European Professional Photographers (FEP) based on nominations of members organisations from all European countries.
Čaniga presented a series of 20 artistic photos to the jury, while Štovka submitted a series of portraits from the world of theatre. Lipták focused on landscapes in his works, and Hladík offered a less traditional collection of abstract photographs made directly on wood.
This time, only three Master QEP titles were awarded (out of 11 candidates), two of whom remain in Slovakia, TASR wrote. The head of the Association of Professional Photographers of the Slovak Republic (APFSR), Martin Vrabko, expressed pride and joy over his fellow Slovaks’ awards.
