APEC 2017 Photo Contest winners announced

11/9/2017 - 9:55:41 AM

The APEC Photo Contest 2017 winners were announced at the Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting by Dr. Alan Bollard, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat’s Executive Director, on November 7, in the central city of Da Nang.

First-prize winning photo 'Sunset Life' by Kieu Anh Dung from Vietnam

The first prize was awarded to the photo "Sunset Life” by Kieu Anh Dung from Vietnam, while "The Sea Flower” by Truong Vinh and "Building the Flower Industry” by Tran Dinh Thuong, both also from the host country, received second and third prizes, respectively.

The Popular Choice Award went to "Up and Forward” by Yu-Han Kung from the Republic of Korea and "Harvest Time” by Oki Arisandi from Indonesia received the Influencer Award.

The APEC Photo Contest is an annual initiative of the APEC Secretariat to collect stakeholders’ views on APEC’s messages and priorities. The contest seeks the public’s visual interpretation of APEC’s priorities for 2017, including promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth, deepening regional economic integration, strengthening the competitiveness of small businesses and enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture.

The winners were evaluated by a judging panel consisting of world renowned photojournalists, industry experts and senior public officials, such as APEC Executive Director Alan Bollard, Agence France-Presse Photo Editor for North America Eric Baradat, award-winning photographer Palani Mohan, APEC Photo Contest multi-year winner and photographer Truong Huu Hung, and Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister and Chair of APEC 2017 Senior Officials Bui Thanh Son.

In its seventh year, the APEC Photo Contest 2017 received 2,126 entries from various APEC member economies including Australia, Brunei Darussalam, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In order to reach a wider audience, this year, for the first time, the contest welcomed entries from Instagram through the APEC Secretariat’s official account.

To honour the Instagram entries, the special "Influencer Award” was introduced and the winner was selected by the number of likes the photo received on this channel. The first winner of the award this year is Oky Arisandi from Indonesia whose photo received nearly 3,000 likes.

Source: NDO

Yen Thuy District: Vibrant emulation movement to build cultured residential areas and families

With an increasingly vibrant and widespread emulation movement aimed at building cultured residential areas and cultured families, Yen Thuy District has been making steady progress toward improving both the material and spiritual well-being of its people, while fostering a civilized, prosperous, beautiful, and progressive community.

The joy of having a cultural house

Once lacking recreational spaces and community facilities, Residential Group 2 in Quynh Lam Ward (Hoa Binh City) has recently received attention for the construction of a new, spacious, and fully equipped cultural house. The project followed the model of state support combined with public contributions in both labor and funding.

Kim Boi: Cultural life building efforts produce fruitful outcomes

The "All people unite to build cultural life" movement, which has been effectively integrated with Kim Boi district’s socio-economic development goals, is fostering a lively spirit of emulation across local residential areas, hamlets, villages, public agencies, and enterprises. In addition, through the initiative, traditional cultural values are being preserved and promoted, while community solidarity and mutual support in poverty reduction and economic development are being strengthened.

Provincial leader inspects construction site of Mo Muong conservation space

A working delegation of the Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee led by its Permanent Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Toan on June 11 inspected the progress of a project to build the Mo Muong Cultural Heritage Conservation Space linked to tourism services in Hop Phong commune, Cao Phong district.

A “fire keeper” of Muong culture

Born and growing in the heroic land of Muong Dong, Dinh Thi Kieu Dung, a resident in Bo town of Kim Boi district, in her childhood was nurtured by the sweet lullabies of her grandmother and mother. These melodies deeply imprinted on her soul, becoming an inseparable part of her love for her ethnic group's culture. For over 20 years, this love for her hometown has driven Dung to research, collect, and pass down the cultural values of the Muong people to future generations.

Bringing art to the people in remote and disadvantaged areas

In the final days of May, the Ethnic Art Troupe of Hoa Binh Province organized performances to serve the people in remote, mountainous, and particularly disadvantaged areas within the province. These were not just ordinary artistic shows, but they were the meaningful journeys aimed at spreading cultural values, enhancing the spiritual life of the people and contributing to the preservation of ethnic minority cultural identities.