Like every year, the Celebrating Life contest had a specific theme.  This year's theme was Folk Heritage of Bangladesh — a topic intended to uphold and celebrate the rural life and festivities of Bangladesh. The event began with a photo exhibition, using the photos taken by the winners of the Celebrating Life 2019 photography contest. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Asaduzzaman Noor, MP, Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher of the Daily Star, and Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, Bangladesh.

The event, hosted by Nobonita Chowdhury, began with a spectacular dance performance by Warda Rihab's dance troupe. As the programme progressed, Editor and Publisher of the Daily Star, Mahfuz Anam, delivered his welcome speech, where he said, "The world of creativity is not bound to education, financial resources, or the proximity of our location. We can dream big from wherever we are. And over the years, we are proud that this initiative has been honouring creativity in the field of lyrics, photography and film in our country, and no nation is truly complete without the practice of liberal arts and creativity."

Veteran singer Syed Abdul Hadi, iconic film personality Sarah Kabori and theatre personality Syed Jamil Ahmed, three heavyweights of their field of work, received the Standard Chartered-The Daily Star Celebrating Life Lifetime Achievement Award. They were all presented with the awards on stage at the gala.

The competition brought in thousands of entries in the film-making, photography and lyric writing segments, among which, the best were awarded at the gala. The winners were taken on stage to receive their awards. Apart from the first, second and third winners of the photography contest, the honorable mentions for this category included Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Salim Rahman, Ferdous Shabbir, Poyel Ahmed, Ahmad Raquib, Naima Perveen, Mohammed Rubel, and Md. Zakirul Mazed Konok. Honorable mentions for the category of lyrics included, Rana Masud, Soyad Masud and Mohsin Ahmed.

Shaikh Mohiruddin (1st Prize Winning Photograph)

After the award giving ceremony, Celebrating Life Photobook 2018-2019 and Music of Celebrating Life 2019 was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Asaduzzaman Noor, MP, Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher of the Daily Star, Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, Bangladesh and the three Lifetime Achievement Award Winners.

Syed Abdul Hadi, Dilruba Khan, Indra Mohan Rajbongshi, Chandana Mazumdar, Fahmida Nabi, Shukonna Mazumder Ghosh, Ismat Ara Eva and Mohammed Shoeb mesmerised the guests with their melodious performances. They all sung winning songs of the Standard Chartered-The Daily Star Celebrating Life 2019 Lyrics Contest, with music composition done by Fahmida Nabi.

Liman Barua (3rd Prize Winning Photograph)

Suborna Senjutee Tushee

CELEBRATING LIFE 2019

Fiction Winner – Film Contest

This has been a truly astounding experience for me, and I would like to thank everyone for this honour. This is the first award I have received in Bangladesh, so it is a new and beautiful experience for me. I got to know about this event quite recently, as I had been living abroad for the past eight years, through The Daily Star itself. I hope to use the prize money to prepare myself for my first feature film, which will propel my career as a filmmaker.

Tapan Bagchi

CELEBRATING LIFE 2019

1st Prize Winner – Lyrics Contest

I am truly humbled to receive such an honour from both The Daily Star and Standard Chartered bank. This has made me believe in my skills as a lyricist, and will inspire me to write more in the future. I found out about this year's event through a newspaper advertisement, so I decided to take part again. I have always loved reading books, so I think I will use the prize money for buying many different books in the future.

Rana Masud

CELEBRATING LIFE 2019

2nd Prize Winner – Lyrics Contest

I am truly overjoyed and proud to have won the second place this year. I have known about this competition since 2012 as I had been involved in writing for a long time. I first participated in 2017, where I received an honourable mention. The prize money that I have won, I plan to spend it to promote the Bangladeshi literature and culture in the Shahitto Parishad in Sreepur, which I had established back in 2010.

Mohsin Ahmed

CELEBRATING LIFE 2019

3rd Prize Winner – Lyrics Contest

I am truly elated to have been able to participate in such an amazing event as this. This stands to be an inspiration for me to pursue writing in the future to achieve all my dreams. As I had been involved in writing, I first learnt about this competition in 2014, and I first participated in 2015. As for the prize money, I will use it to try to promote the culture and literature of Bangladesh through Shahitto Parishads and enhance my writing as well.

Shaikh Mohiruddin

CELEBRATING LIFE 2019

1st Prize Winner – Photography Contest

I am thrilled that I have secured the first position. It is truly an honour and a dream come true for me. I have been participating in this competition for a few years now. So, I got notified about it through email and decided to take part this year as well. As a photographer, I always look for ways to upgrade my devices, which is how I plan to spend the prize money that I have received.

Sohel Chowdhury

CELEBRATING LIFE 2019

2nd Prize Winner – Photography Contest

This is the first time I've received an award in Bangladesh. Words cannot express how happy I am. I found out about this competition online and registered for it. We photographers continuously strive to take better photos, and to do so, we require better equipment. As for the prize money that I have received, I will surely use it to upgrade my devices.

Liman Barua

CELEBRATING LIFE 2019

3rd Prize Winner – Photography Contest

I am ecstatic and overwhelmed with the honor that I got from this contest. I have participated before, but this is the first time I've won an award. This event has been taking place for a few years now. Photography is my passion, and the respect and honour that I received today is what matters to me the most. So, the money that I received will be spent on newer gear and devices to further enhance my skills.

Sohel Chowdhury (2nd Prize Winning Photograph)

Photo: Amran Hossain, Prabir Das & Shahrear Kabir Heemel