Young Solomon Dappa, a documentary photographer who hails from Opobo Kingdom in Rivers State has been declared overall winner of the coveted Wikimedia National Photography Awards by Wikimedia Nigeria.
Dappa Solomon’s photo entries were chosen best ahead of over five thousand (5,000) entries submitted by participants contesting in two separate categories, in quest to win the fancy and satisfy the rigorous standards of the competition hosted by Wikimedia Nigeria User-Group.
First, he won the Wiki Loves folklore awards, clinching the overall best prize in that category. In the Wiki Loves folklore category, his photo was selected and ajudged the overall winner, after his entries got first, sixth, ninth, and tenth positions out of over one thousand (1,000) submissions from participating photographers across the country.
In another photography contest which is the Wiki Loves Africa, Dappa Solomon’s photo entry also emerged the number one spot. His entry became the best after defeating over three thousand (3,000) entries submitted by documentary photographers nationwide.
The Photography contest is at the instance of Wikimedia Foundation, parent owners of the world’s famous and largest documentary platform, Wikipedia.
This initiative by Wikimedia is aimed at encouraging and promoting creativity in the art of image documentation as a way to contribute to the open source knowledge movements, preserve the African culture and tradition, and to use the art of photography as a way to tell the African story from the local perspectives and to have resources for the open knowledge movement.
On the 25th of June 2024, Solomon Dappa received certificates of both prestigious photography awards at the headquarters of the Wikimedia User Group office in Lagos Nigeria, signalling his crowning as the overall winner of the National Contest for both Wiki Loves Folklore in Nigeria 2024 and Wiki Loves Africa in Nigeria 2024.
Winner of the awards, Mr Dappa Solomon who could not hide his joy, expressed in a statement that; “these national awards and certificates stand as a testament to the fact that hard work truly pays off and that consistency should never be underestimated”.
While appreciating some notable and inspiring proposals in the photography industry, Dappa said his awards are dedicated to God for giving him the strength to persevere and remain steadfast even in the face of challenges, and appreciated the Wikimedia Foundation for providing an incredible platform for creative minds to be able to contribute to open knowledge movement.
Young Solomon Dappa has by this achievement, become the first Rivers indigene in any known records to win the globally instituted and recognized photography contest organized by the Wikimedia Nigeria
