“Mela Moments Photography Contest" is an initiative by the Ministry of Culture, under the aegis of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to work towards popularizing festivals and melas across the country. Announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, during his Mann Ki Baat, the campaign aims to uplift the spirit of the festive season through visiting and clicking pictures of the festivals and melas.

A thread that connects diverse India - the fairs & festivals of our country are an incredible cultural affair. The festive season, being synonymous with the season of fairs, has commenced throughout the country with full gusto, & so have the traditional melas associated with them. These fairs or festivals, be it religious or cultural, rural, or urban, not only provide an unbroken link with the past but also play an important role in boosting the local economy.

Under this campaign, the Ministry is encouraging people to visit their nearest fairs and festivals
for nostalgia-filled happiness and click the best pictures of Fairs and Festivals based on the said theme. Through this photography contest, we invite you to share your pictures of ‘Mela Moments’ and get a chance to win cash prizes.

Participate in the contest by posting on social media and also submitting your entries on MyGov.in under four following categories –

1.‘Mela Vibes’ which is an ode to the unique & colorful nature of Indian fairs
2.‘ChatoriGully’ which celebrates the best of mela food
3.‘Mela faces’ which captures the happy faces/portraits from fair visits
4.‘Mela Stalls’ showcasing the best of items displayed in the fairs

The campaign will run for six months and every month, three best photos will be rewarded under each category with a cash prize. The monthly winners under each category will also compete for the grand finale at the end of the campaign i.e. April, 2023.

Awards

Winning images will be featured on the social media handles of the Ministry of Culture, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and Lalit Kala Akademi.

Cash prizes details mentioned below.
1st Winner – 10,000
2nd Winner – 7,500
3rd Winner – 5,000

The grand finale winners in each category get a chance to win –
1st Winner – 1,00,000
2nd Winner – 75,000
3rd Winner – 50,000

Last Date of Submission – Last day of every month
For any queries Email : melamomentscontest@gmail.com

SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES FOR PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
i) Photograph must be original.
ii) There must be no border, logo, copyright marks, identifying marks or any other visible references and/or marks on the image.
iii) Basic editing including color enhancement, the use of filters, and cropping of the photo(s) is acceptable, provided and such editing does not affect the authenticity and/or genuineness of the photo(s)
iv) Advance editing used to create illusions, deceptions and/or manipulations, and the adding and removing of significant elements within the frame is prohibited.
v) Printable Quality
vi) No age restrictions
vii) Theme based only
viii) Photos submitted must be at least 640 pixels on the shorter side, and no more than 2000 pixels on the longer side.
ix) Photos must be in JPEG format.
x) Unique title and description must be provided.
xi) Photos that portray or otherwise include inappropriate and/or offensive content, including provocative nudity, violence, human rights and/or environment violation, and/or any other contents deemed to be contrary to the law, religious, cultural & moral traditions, and practices of India, are strictly prohibited and will be immediately discarded.
xii) Participant should be a resident of India.
xiii) Central and State government employees can also participate.
xiv) Submissions will not be accepted once the deadline lapses.

The Judging

a) The Ministry of Culture will appoint a judge for each contest. This will comprise of members
of the editorial team and / or external judges.
b) The Judging panel shall assess and determine the winning Photos. The results and the winners will be announced on the website and social media platforms of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and the Ministry of Culture.
c) The decision of the Mela Moments Photography Contest judging panel will be final and binding on all Participants in respect to all matters relating to the contest.
d) The Ministry of Culture reserves the right to call for original JPEG or RAW files with unchanged EXIF for the purpose of authentication. An image may be disregarded if this information cannot be provided.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

a) Submitted photos must be original, created and/or taken by the contestant. It must not contain any materials owned or controlled by a third party for which you have not obtained a license, must not infringe the copyright, trademark, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity.

b) The Ministry of Culture respects photographer’s copyrights and copyrights shall remain vested with the creator of the image. Upon making the submission, you grant Ministry of Culture, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty free, sub-licensable right and license to use, publish, reproduce, display, perform, adapt, create derivative works, distribute, have distributed, print, in whole or in part, in any form, in all media forms now or hereafter known, to promote the contest, image, the photographer or for editorial or educative use.

c) The Photographer will be credited wherever the image is used.