Article: Photography competition in Genting Highlands draws 1,328 entries

Tuesday June 9, 2009

THE Genting Goes Green Flora and Fauna Photography Competition drew tremendous response.

A total of 1,328 entries were received for the competition, which was organised by Genting – City of Entertainment, and supported by Alfa International College, the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and Society of Photographers – Malaysia (SPM).

The sponsors for the competition included Star Cruises and Awana Hotels & Resorts and Fujifilm as the official imaging sponsor.

The competition was launched on March 1 and ended in mid-May.

The professional and aspiring young photographers who captured the 34 shots that were judged winners received their prizes at a ceremony held at Times Square, First World Plaza in Genting Highlands recently.

Colouful caterpillar: Fauna Student category third prize photo by Lim Jun Yong.

Malaysia environmental ambassador Maya Karin was the special guest at the event. Also present were representatives of Resorts World Berhad – public relations and communications senior vice-president Datuk Anthony Yeo, Awana Genting Highlands Resort general manager Ruddin Salim, public relations and communications vice-president Katherine Chew; Society of Photographers Malaysia president Pang Piow Kan, Fujifilm general manager Jason Chin, and The Star chief photo editor Ng Kok Leong.

"The purpose of the competition is to create the opportunity for people – whether they be adults, teenagers or children – to spend time with nature and appreciate the environment that we have," Yeo said in his welcoming speech, adding that a new participating category, for students below 18 years old, was added this year to encourage them to appreciate nature and inculcate in them a love for photography.

Ten sessions of guided jungle treks in Awana Genting Highlands Resort were arranged for the participants to enable them to get a closer view of the flora and fauna and to learn about the many insects, birds and plants that were found only in the virgin forest of Genting Highlands.

"Here in Genting Highlands, only 4% of our total land bank of 4,297ha have been used. The rest remains virgin tropical jungle which is home to various insects, rare birds, wild flora and fauna of the tropical rainforests.

"About 200 species of birds and more than 100 species of unique ferns have been identified in the tropical highlands. We hope to keep things the way they are, to preserve the tropical forest we have here," he added.

Tree trunk habitat: Flora Open category first prize winner by Hwong Chang Ching.

The competition consisted of two categories – Open and Student – and was divided into two categories, namely Flora and Fauna.

The judging session was held on May 22, a week after the competition ended. The panel of judges comprised Pang, Andrew Sebastian of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Kee Seok Kim of Fujifilm, Ng and Chew.

Members of the Society of Photographers Malaysia checked through the winning entries to ensure they adhered to the rules, while the MNS helped in identifying the shots of flora and fauna to ensure that all the winning entries were taken in the Genting Highlands.

The first prize winners of the Open Fauna and Flora categories were Chong Yee Cho, 64, and Hwong Chang Ching, 32, respectively.

They each won themselves RM5,000, a Star Cruises holiday package for two, a Fujifilm FinePix Digital Camera and a year's membership in the MNS.

The second prize winners were Liang Poh Long, 44, and Willy Wijaya, 20, who each took home RM3,000, a three-day/two-night stay at Awana Porto Malai Langkawi and a Fujifilm FinePix Digital Camera, while the third prize winners were Law Cheng Tean, 52, and Yuen Kok Leng, 75, who each received RM1,500, a three-day/two-night at Genting Highlands Resort and a Fujifilm FinePix Digital Camera.

In the Student Fauna and Flora category, the first prize went to 13-year-olds Teoh Kim Wei and Lim Jun Yong respectively, who each took home RM3,000, a holiday package for four at Awana Kijal, Terengganu, a Fujifilm FinePix Digital Camera and MNS membership of one year.

The second prize went to Chong Yeong Jie, 16, and Alia Aida, 18, who each won RM2,000, a holiday package for four at Awana Porto Malai Langkawi and a Fujifilm Camera FinePix Digital Camera.

Peeking out: Flora Open category third prize winner by Law Cheng Tean.

Lim Jun Yong made it a double when he also won the third prize, along with Tan Wen Jie, 15. They each received RM1,000, a holiday package for four at Awana Genting Highlands and a Fujifilm FinePix Digital Camera.

Meanwhile, 12 merit winners each took home RM300 and a Fujifilm hamper worth RM100 while 10 consolation winners received RM200 and a Fujifilm hamper worth RM100 each.

The winning photographs are on display until June 15 in the photography exhibition located at the Statue of Liberty, First World. Also on display are some other selected photographs that, even though they did not make it into the top 34, are beautiful nonetheless.

The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the World Environment Day on June 5 and the launch of Genting Goes Green today.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: Central 9 June 2009