HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 31 March 2022 –The Hong Kong Photo Contest 2021 drew to a close on December 3, 2021, with outstanding participation. While we only accepted photographs and short videos taken in Hong Kong, our entrants included photographers from many regions and countries, such as Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, Philippines, Bangladesh, Australia, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, and, of course, Hong Kong itself.
Duty – By Leung Hon Shing (Winner of People Category)
“This is the fifth consecutive year that Wheelock Properties have presented the Hong Kong Photo Contest with National Geographic Magazine Chinese Edition. We’re delighted to have received many submissions of superior quality. Even though our life has changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years, this annual contest was still held to bring photography enthusiasts together to display their remarkable talent by telling stories of Hong Kong through photos and videos. Winner of People Category《Duty》by Leung Hon Shing depicts the very challenges facing workers across industries during the pandemic and reminds us to stay healthy. Congratulations to all the awardees! We look forward to the beautiful works from more distinguished photographers to showcase the unique beauty of Hong Kong on this platform in the future”, says Ricky Wong, Managing Director of Wheelock Properties.
Hong Kong Photo Contest 2021 is divided into six categories: “Landscape”, “Wildlife”, “City”, “People” and “Mobile Photography” and Short Video. This year, the Contest has received over 7,165 submissions from both photography enthusiasts and professionals.
The judging panel this year comprises National Geographic Documentary director Andrew Yao; renowned Hong Kong photographer Anthony Lau; and Lee Yungshih, editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine Chinese edition.
Director YAO said, ” I’m delighted to be able to participate in the judging process of this year’s contest. It has allowed me to once again renew my perspective on Hong Kong’s urban, cultural and natural features through the “frame” of National Geographic. A video entry that chronicled the Yau Ma Tei Car Park Building before its demolition impressed me the most this year. Using time-lapse photography, the videographer succinctly captured the tenseness of Hong Kong’s daily life as well as the monotonous, if not mechanical pace of the city. It is a requiem for historical buildings, which when combined with its wonderful ending and soulful soundtracks, makes for a touching and deeply impressive piece of video work.”
Anthony says, “As a photographer born and educated in Hong Kong, it’s an absolute honour for me to be one of the judge in this contest. And for the second year, I am delighted to revisit my hometown with a lot of highly accomplished photo, both in terms of technical and story elements. Along with fellow contest judges, Mr Lee and Mr Yeo, we were entrusted with a difficult task to determine the winning shots from all of these great photos. The winning photos looked at the challenges that our home is facing from an elevated and artistics angle, while reminding us how beautiful our hometown is, even with thousands miles apart. Thank you everyone of you!.”
Lee from Taiwan says, “This year’s National Geographic Wheelock Hong Kong Photo Contest is once again full of pleasant surprises! We saw not only an increase in the number of submissions, but also a significant improvement in the quality of our shortlisted selections； In addition, there’s also a number of impressive entries in our first-ever short video contest category. I believe that over time, we will see even more mature and exciting video works documenting Hong Hong’s vitality in this new category. As for our future entrants, I look forward to seeing more photographers break Hong Kong’s stereotypical mold with their creativity as they attempt to capture the city in unique and surprising perspectives.”
The winning works will be exhibited at the following website and venues, all exhibitions are free of charge and open to the public.
