New, Exciting Categories and Cash Prizes Await Contestants
The Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) Photography Contest 2022 kicks off today (22 April) in conjunction with Earth Day, calling for avid photographers to reunite with nature and capture their best shots of Mother Earth’s lush tropical rainforests and ecosystems in Malaysia.
Carrying the theme ‘Experience Forest, Experience MTCS-PEFC’, the contest is aimed at utilising the art of nature photography to raise public awareness on the uniqueness and benefits of Malaysia’s forests and ecosystems while promoting the importance of valuing the nature and sustainable forest management through timber certification to benefit future generations. Entering its fifth edition this year, the contest is a joint effort between MTCC and photography and travel magazines publisher, PCP Publications.
The contest, which runs until 30 June, offers three categories including one new category for social media butterflies to share creative snapshots of them enjoying the outdoors. Apart from attractive prizes, all winning entries will be exhibited at Malaysia’s biggest imaging event, Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival in September. To add the excitement up a notch, the top three winning images will be in the running to win the International 2022 PEFC Photographer of the Year Award.
MTCC’s CEO, Siti Syaliza Mustapha said the launch of the MTCC Photography Contest coincides with the Earth Day to raise awareness on the importance of investing in mother nature to ensure its restoration, conservation and protection.
“This year’s Earth Day theme, ‘Invest in Our Planet’, promotes nature restoration and building a healthy planet towards achieving a prosperous and sustainable future for our children, which is in line with MTCC’s objective to promote nature conservation – tropical forests in particular – and raise public awareness on the significance of certification as a crucial tool to ensure forest sustainability for a prosperous and sustainable future,” she said.
Siti Syaliza said the contest comprises three categories, with one taking into consideration Malaysia’s transition into the endemic phase of COVID-19.
“The Forest Landscapes and Ecosystems category is open for images showcasing the rich, natural wonders of Malaysia’s forests and human interactions which reflect the multiple uses of forests. The Wood for the Future category focuses on innovative applications and multiple uses of wood such as in buildings, homes, appliances and even art installations that feature the longevity and aesthetic values of wood as a sustainable material.
The third category, #reconnectwithnature, is created mainly to encourage people to go out and enjoy the outdoors with healthy activities such as hiking, jungle trekking, camping or having a picnic in natural landscapes. We hope that by going out and about to physically and emotionally reconnect with mother nature will ignite the awareness on the importance of valuing and conserving our natural environment, especially our priceless forests and their resources,” she said.
She said the contest attracted 186 participants last year, with 2,045 photos and 34 short videos submissions.
“With the transition phase taking place, we’re anticipating more contestants and more stunning entries this year,” she said and added that the first edition of the contest was held in 2017.
Exciting Categories
The MTCC Photography Contest 2022 comprises the following categories:
Category A: Forest Landscapes and Ecosystems
Description:
This category is open for images that showcase the uniqueness of Malaysia’s forest landscapes in various geological, climatological and biological features, including great shots of the flora and fauna that make the forests very fascinating to be observed, valued and conserved. Apart from that, images of human interactions that portray multiple uses of forests including people working in the forest such as local communities, forest workers, researchers, artists and visitors are also welcomed.
Category B: Wood for the Future
Description:
This category calls for images that feature innovative and creative applications of wood in modern settings, be it buildings, structures, infrastructures as well as interior or exterior designs. Shots focusing on sustainable processing or crafting of wood-based products are also eligible for this category. All images should depict the authentic charm of wood, highlighting the timeless look and feel of the design as well as the wooden elements as a sustainable material that exudes longevity.
Category C: #reconnectwithnature (Social Media – Facebook/Instagram)
Description:
As Malaysia is transitioning into the endemic phase of COVID-19, this category is created to show how we are positively reconnecting ourselves emotionally and physically with nature. It invites social media users to share photos of how they spend their time appreciating the country’s natural environment and enjoying the outdoors. Each entry must be posted with the following hashtags: #mtccphotocontest2022 #reconnectwithnature. The results will be announced on MTCC’s Official Facebook Page MTCC.Malaysia and AdvancedImagesTravelution Facebook Page. The winners will be notified by private message (PM).
Prizes Up for Grabs
The grand prize winner will walk away with a cash prize of RM1,500. Each photo category offers RM1,000 for the first prize winner, RM500 each for two merit prize winners and RM200 each for 10 consolation prize winners. The social media category offers RM100 each for the best three photos and RM50 each for seven consolation prize winners. Each winner will receive an e-certificate and e-magazines courtesy of PCP Publications.
The contest is open to all Malaysians and residents of Malaysia aged 13 years and above who have a passion in forests, wood and photography. For details and contest form, please visit the following Facebook pages: MTCC.Malaysia, AdvancedImagesTravelution, majalahFotografika, PhotoCreatorTravelmate