Canon PhotoMarathon 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City set record for largest number of participants in Asia

The overall winner of the competition, Nguyen Thi Thuy An with the photo expressing topic Home, has scored a ticket to Japan, where they will be joining the Canon Photo Clinic for night days and eight nights with other winning contestants from Singapore, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Nguyen Thi Thuy An, the owner of the competition’s ultimate prize, shared her thoughts on the photo: “I was quite shocked when the grand prize was announced. This is the fourth time I participated in this contest and won the award.”

“The message in the photo is a home to many orphans and I myself have had many special memories with babies. I desire to leave a deep impression to viewers about the innocence of children,” she added.

The results were based on the evaluation of three judges who have significant experience in Vietnam and internationally.

This year’s PhotoMarathon has introduced a new element to the prize structure, with two prizes being awarded to the youngest (11 years old and 7 years old) and oldest contestant (68 years old).

After awarding the winning contestant, Maika Elan, who has been a judge in the contest for the last two years, said: “The higher technology can help photographers to capture the more beautiful photos. However, technology can only support you effectively when you understand the topic, had good shooting technique and incorporate your feelings into the photo.”

“Participating as a judge of the two competitions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, I saw the participants are passionate in photography. Your photographs are high quality and reflect the rich creativity. I think the winning entries of this year’s contest are as good as any photos taken by a professional photographer,” said judge Justin Mott.

This year’s topics continued in the spirit of promoting the people and culture of Vietnam. The three topics were not foreign to contestants, but at the same time required a high level of creativity and innovation.

“This is the ninth year of the contest, but every year we find a number of new young and talented photographers. Through the Canon PhotoMarathon competition, we have sought to express our belief in Vietnamese photographers, support them and give them the opportunity to have new experiences, to be confident in exploring their abilities, and to further grow their passion for photography,” said Nick Yoshida, president and CEO of Canon Marketing Vietnam.

“They are the ideal representatives to promote the beauty of the culture, country and people of Vietnam to the international community. This is in line with Canon’s philosophy of Kyosei, which means ‘living and working for the common good’,” he asserted.

Along with the event’s success in terms of both quality and quantity, all of the money raised from registration fees was contributed to the “Canon – Help with love” Fund, a CSR Fund of Canon Marketing Vietnam, dedicated to helping underprivileged children.

Every year, Canon Marketing Vietnam organises four to five trips to mountainous areas to build schools and provide facilities for disadvantaged students, supporting their education.

Nguyen Van Tai, a representative of Ea Bung primary school in Dak Lak province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region, was present at the awards ceremony to receive the charitable funds.

He said: “Canon PhotoMarathon has brought many benefits to society and participants have had great experiences. The raised fund will be used to build two classrooms of the school. On behalf of teachers and pupils at Ea Bung elementary school, I would like to thank Canon Marketing Vietnam for the contest and also thank all the participants who enrolled into this contest to build the Canon – Help with Love Fund.”

Canon is a global leader in photographic and digital imaging solutions. Canon products have been available in Vietnam since the 1980s through its authorised distributors.

Besides providing employment for more than 25,000 people, Canon also makes outstanding contributions to the country’s development through its meaningful social activities.