Pacific-wide search for APEC’s best photos in 2012

Winners: Pacific-wide search for APEC’s best photos in 2012

Issued by the APEC Secretariat

Vladivostok, Russia, 3 September 2012 – Three stunning images that best capture the essence of APEC’s work were chosen as winners of the APEC Photo Contest 2012.

Out of 408 photos submitted by 148 photographers from 14 economies across the APEC region, Viet Nam citizen Dinh Ngoc Trung’s photo “Early Morning Market” stood out among the judging panel and won the grand prize. His winning photo of street vendors pushing carts of bananas was taken from a bridge near his home in suburban Viet Nam.

“I am very happy and truly honoured to be chosen as a winner in this competition,” said Dinh, the 47-year-old freelance photographer from Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. He currently lives with his son in Binh Thanh district and has been taking photographs professionally since he was a teenager.

“My photo shows an abundance of fresh, affordable food that all us need to sustain our physical well-being,” he said.

“There is great beauty in the everyday life and even in the things we sometimes take for granted,” Dinh added. “I hope that those who get to see my photo will start to appreciate the simpler things that we often overlook, like how we get our food on our dining tables.”

The Judges’ Second Prize was awarded to Vu Minh Tuan also from Viet Nam with his photo “Common curiosity” and Third Prize went to Nikki Victoriano from the Philippines with her photo “Sparks of progress.”

Against a backdrop of rising food prices and a growing world population, APEC is focusing on strengthening food security throughout the Asia-Pacific – by encouraging food production, reducing wastage, facilitating food trade, enhancing safety, and improving access to food for the region’s most vulnerable groups.

Strengthening food security was identified early in 2012 as a key priority area to pursue – together with expanding regional economic integration, establishing reliable supply chains, and fostering innovative growth. Photographers were asked to visually interpret these priority areas.

“APEC has made significant progress in all the four priority areas of 2012,” said APEC Russia’s Senior Official, Ambassador Gennady Ovechko, who was a member of the judging panel. “These photographs reaffirm how APEC can continue to work to support the development of economies and individuals alike.”

Also on the panel was RIA Novosti’s Head of Visual Information Department, Vladimir Baranov, who praised the quality of this year’s photo submissions.

“In terms of symmetry and creative composition, the three winning images did particularly well,” said Baranov. “Importantly, they clearly reflect APEC’s critical work in the region.”

To engage the wider APEC community, the top ten photos were posted on the APEC Facebook page for public voting. Numerous votes were cast during the two-week voting period, and Pearlicia Chan from Singapore won the APEC Popular Choice Award with her photo “In the rice field.”

The winning photographs of the APEC Photo Contest 2012 are available for viewing online.

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