STB Announces Winners to “Sarawak: A Journey Awaits” Photography and Videography Competition
KUCHING, 10th December 2021 – Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) today announced the winners of its’ inaugural Photography and Videography competition in collaboration with Sarawak Photo-Art Society (SPAS) with the theme “Sarawak: A Journey Awaits”.
Hu Toh Kai was the overall champion for photography with his entry, “Dragon Dancing in Siniawan”. Hu’s snapshot of Chap Goh Meh being celebrated in Siniawan Old Town,which featured a vibrant red dragon juxtaposed against the bare wooden backdrop of Siniawan’s iconic shophouses, was also the first-place winner in the ‘Culture’ category.
According to the head judge of the competition, artist and lecturer Sylvester Jussem, Hu’s winning photograph provided an interesting composition of subject placement, effective use of the surrounding and background, and projected the uniqueness of the subject, movement, colour quality in the midst of subtle lighting and the individuality of the photo.
“Within the entries, we saw a wide range of interpretations of the local scenes in Sarawak. From very different, private points of view, to points of view that revealed ideas that were too common – there was a lot of reflection of personal narratives,” he added.
For the Videography category, Paul Anis won RM10,000 for his winning entry on capturing life in idyllic but beautiful Bario through the eyes of a young man, while Chai Teck Hua came second place (RM8,000) and Fitzpatrick Ricky Guing, came third (RM6,000).
In recognition of local young talents in photography and videography, the Special Student Awards for photography went to Jason Teo Jia Hong and Lee Le Yong for videography respectively. Both won RM2,000 in the student category.
Together with Sylvester, the judging panel comprised five hand-picked judges coming from diverse backgrounds, namely senior lecturer at the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Dr Teo Miaw Lee; SPAS President Liew Ted Ghee; veteran filmmaker and musician Dr Kamil Salem; and STB Director of Communications Margaret Apau, who reviewed 1,652 photos and 45 videos entries featuring Sarawak’s Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festival elements at its best.
The list of winners in the STB’s Photography and Videography 2021 competition categories are as follows:
Grand Prize Winner
“Dragon Dancing in Siniawan” by Hu Toh Kai (RM5,000)
Culture Category Winners
1st place – Hu Toh Kai (RM3,000)
2nd place – Ling Leh Ping (RM2,000)
3rd place – Peter Lee Pui Weng (RM1,000)
Adventure Category Winners
1st place – Ling Leh Ping (RM3,000)
2nd place – Aaron Sim Jun Chiek (RM2,000)
3rd place – Wong Siong Hang (RM1,000)
Nature Category Winners
1st place – Isaac Liew (RM3,000)
2nd place – Hu Toh Kai (RM2,000)
3rd place – Wilson Chiam Tak Chee (RM1,000)
Food Category Winners
1st place – Tho Sai Wai (RM3,000)
2nd place – Hii Kin Hua (RM2,000)
3rd place – Edwin Ong Wee Kee (RM1,000)
Festival Category Winners
1st place – Peter Lee Pui Weng (RM3,000)
2nd place – John Lai Teck Kee (RM2,000)
3rd place – Tan Song Wei (RM1,000)
STB Chairman Dennis Ngau extended his heartiest congratulations to all the winners of STB’s “Sarawak: A Journey Awaits” Photography & Videography competition for their efforts, dedication and skills in documenting Sarawak.
“As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words, and this is especially true when it comes to a place as scenic and beautiful as Sarawak. Our picturesque landscape with unique flora and fauna, our multifaceted cultures, our adventures in motion, our gastronomy splendour and iconic festivals offers an array of content for photography and videography enthusiasts everywhere,” he added.
The competition was launched on 9th November 2021 and ended on 30th November 2021. All winning photographs will be updated to a digital exhibition at a later date.
