KUALA LUMPUR (13 September 2013) – The inaugural EOS Young Photographer Award contest was a resounding success with more than 27,000 entries from around the region, with strongest participation coming from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand.
The contest witnessed aspiring photographers in the region submit their most creative snapshots to vie for the highly attractive grand prize of an all-expense paid National Geographic Photography Workshop in the US, plus a Canon EOS 60D DSLR camera with EF-S18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II Lens.
Beating out more than 27,000 hopefuls, Hanggi Tyo from Indonesia emerged as the champion and walked away with the coveted prize, with her winning entry, “My Full Colourful Smile”.
“I can’t believe that I won! The photograph was actually taken in Jember Fashion Carnaval Show in Taman Ismail Marzuki amphitheater, Jakarta, on December 1st 2012.
“The lady in my photo is Aulia Sekarrini Suantara Putri. I knew her when she was in class 3 Junior High School. I captured her joyous spirit – I am amazed because even though she is still so young, she made the costume for JFC. I can’t wait to go to US and learn more about photography and start using my brand new camera! I’m really grateful to the organisers for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said the elated 21-year old.
Tyo’s shot, which depicts a smiling young woman clad in a vibrantly colourful costume, garnered much praise from the judging panel.
“This image combines a beautiful moment, a kaleidoscopic combination of colours, and a creative composition. The photographer has truly captured a moment and the lighting is perfect.
The highlights in the eyes of the young woman makes you want to keep looking at her, and her costume has a texture and flow that draws me in – particularly how the girl is shifted to the side of the frame and the lines of the costume lead you to her face,” remarked Gabby Salazar, National Geographic photographer.
On the other hand, first runner up, Malaysian Chan Zhi Ying, 22, a make-up artist, walked away with a Canon EOS 650D with EF-S18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II Lens for her submission entitled “Happy in Red”. The photography depicts a child splashing in a tub of water while having her bath, conveying a feeling of unbridled happiness and carefree delight.
“I’ve always been interested in photography, and I took this photo at home. It reminded me of the days when my mom used to bath me in a big bowl – it was a warm, happy and beautiful moment in my life. This is my very first photo contest. When I got the news, I was nearly in tears! Now, I can’t wait to start clicking away with my new Canon EOS camera and improve my skills,” said Chan.
Meanwhile, 21-year old Geovani Orlando from Indonesia also impressed the judges with his photo submission, “Paju Jawi From Ranah Minang”, earning him the title of second runner up and a Canon EOS 1100D with EF-S18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II Lens.
Themed “A Celebration of Colour”, the EOS Young Photographer Award 2013 was open to aspiring photographers aged between the ages of 13 to 25, and jointly organised by National Geographic Channels and Canon Singapore Pte Ltd.
According to Simeon Dawes, SVP Advertising Sales & Partnership of FOX One Stop Media, “Our main intention in organising this competition together with Canon Singapore, was to inspire young people across Asia to take an interest and discover more about the creative art and science of photography, as well as to provide a platform for aspiring photographers to pursue their love and passion for photography.”
He added by saying “As a channel that inspires people through our work and programmes, we look to nurture talents in the field of creativity – people who will share the same vision of wanting to bring people together and bridging cultures. They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Photographs transcend all cultural, language, background barriers – the same way we aspire to reach out and make a positive difference in the communities in which we operate. In this regard, we are glad to have found a partner in Canon who also share the same vision about nurturing talent hence this initiative turned out to be such a success.”
“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to be a part of this competition, which presents an ideal platform to showcase the best, most colourful and creative photography talents in the region. This type of contest is in line with Canon’s aim to promote the Photography Culture in the Southeast Asian region,” said Mr Hideaki Nishimura, Senior-Director & General Manager, ICP Business Division, Canon Singapore Pte Ltd.
In addition to the three main prizes, the contest also awarded bi-weekly winners for the colour-themed Voter’s Choice Award, held between April 9 to June 3, with an 8GB EOS Memory Drive and National Geographic Channel X Morn Creations Limited Version Shark Backpack each.
Meanwhile, the Grand Voter’s Choice, which was tracked from the beginning of the campaign, was awarded to Saidkhsan from Indonesia. He took home an EOS Camera Bag and National Geographic Photo Book for his submission entitled “Love Story”, depicting two entwined butterflies on a vine.
Other noteworthy entries highlighted by the judges were “Panorama de Shah Mosque” by Shaharyar Hyder, “The Longest Sock” by Firman Maulana, and “Three Yellow Guards” by Danniel Partogi.
Following the overwhelming response and success of this inaugural event, both organisers are now looking forward to kicking-off another photo contest in October 2013. More details will be released nearer the launch date.
