The Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) is calling nature shutterbugs to get their creative juices flowing and show their photography flair at the annual MTCC Photography Contest 2021 which will be held from 21 March until 30 June.
Carrying the theme “Experience Forest, Experience MTCS-PEFC”, the contest is a joint effort between MTCC and PCP Publications which aims at raising public awareness via photography on the uniqueness and benefits of Malaysia’s tropical forests while promoting the importance of valuing the nature and sustainable forest management through certification to benefit future generations.
MTCC CEO Yong Teng Koon says this year’s contest is set to be a memorable one as it will kick off on 21 March, coinciding with the commemoration of the 9th International Day of Forests themed “Forest Restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”. The theme gels well with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) that calls for forest restoration and sustainable forest management efforts to combat the impact of environmental and biodiversity crises.
“The International Day of Forests is commemorated by countries organising various activities to spread awareness on the importance of trees and forests to mankind. The MTCC Photography Contest fits nicely with the theme as this is our way to raise awareness on the importance of certification as an important sustainable forest management tool to ensure forest sustainability for a sustainable future,” he says.
FRESH TAKES
Yong says MTCC and PCP Publications have set four new categories in the contest, taking into account the current movement control order imposed by the Malaysian government to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The four new categories consist of three photo categories namely Natural Forest Landscapes, Wood in Our Life and Stay Safe, Stay Green and one video category, I Wonder, I Wander. The fresh takes are meant to create more excitement and make it more practical for contestants to take their best shots and stay creative despite the restrictions.
A total of 166 participants from throughout Malaysia took part in the contest last year, with 1,384 photographs and 19 short videos submitted. We look forward to receive more amazing entries this year as the contest has never failed to attract astounding works of art since the first edition of the contest in 2017,” says Yong.
He adds that the Wood in Our Life category, which aims at portraying wood aesthetics in lifestyle settings, goes well with the World Wood Day which also falls on 21 March. The annual international cultural event is held to promote wood as an important eco-friendly material that should be used responsibly.
New categories at the MTCC Photography Contest 2021
The MTCC Photography Contest 2021 comprises the following categories:
Category A: Natural Forest Landscapes
This category is open for images capturing the beauty of forest and forest landscapes in Malaysia. Images may include people who depend on forest-based livelihood as well as the forest-dwelling flora and fauna and the ecosystem that they sustain. The images should showcase forest in its natural beauty, diversity and uniqueness with regards to form and structure. For forest landscapes, the images could portray the geological or climatological features and natural environment of Malaysia’s forest.
Category B: Wood in Our Life
This category calls for images that depict the varied uses of wood in our livelihood which could also bring out the intangible heritage skills of our society as well as the value of wood to humankind. Images could showcase people at work making products out of wood or people utilising wood-based utensils or equipment or wood structures or any woody things which have become part of our lives.
Category C: Stay Safe, Stay Green (Social Media – Facebook/Instagram) #staysafestaygreen
As we are currently leading a different way of life due to the pandemic, this category is specially created to showcase how we can play a role in greening the environment despite the limitations. This category invites social media users to post photos showing their simple yet meaningful efforts (e.g creating little gardens or hanging gardens etc) to rejuvenate the environment while staying save at home. Each entry must be posted with the following hashtags: #mtccphotocontest2021 #staysafestaygreen. The results will be announced on MTCC’s Official Facebook Page MTCC.Malaysia and AdvancedImagesTravelution Facebook Page. The winners will be notified by PM (private message).
Category D: Video – I Wander and I Wonder
This category calls for video clips of the participants experiencing nature’s wonders and sounds in Malaysia’s forests or recreational parks. The clip must be recorded using smartphone/tablet/drone/action cameras (e.g. GoPro etc), or a combination of mobile devices. The length of the clip must be at least 30 seconds and does not exceed 3 minutes. The video can be combined with text, effects or voice-over, depending on the producer’s creativity and in compliance with the relevant copyright laws.
Besides the grand prize of RM2,000, the contest offers one first prize of RM1,200, two merit prizes of RM600 and 10 consolation prizes of RM200 for each winner of the respective photo category. The social media category offers RM100 each for the best three entries and seven merit prizes of RM50 each. The best two video clips will receive a cash prize of RM500 each. All winners will also receive a book/magazine courtesy of PCP Publications.
Participation is open to all Malaysians who have a passion for forests, wood and photography. Participants may submit up to 10 images for each category and are required to upload their entries to a cloud storage system and email the link to [email protected].
For details and contest form, visit the following Facebook pages:
MTCC.Malaysia, AdvancedImagesTravelution, majalahFotografika or PhotoCreatorTravelmate