‘’Caught in the Act’’ winners (L-R): Feed Your Child Some Bait by Duong Cong Son of Viet Nam (First Place and People’s Choice), Kingfisher Catch by Thigh Wanna of Myanmar (Second Place), and Hunter by Aye Chan Tun of Myanmar (Third Place).
LAGUNA, Philippines – Out of thousands of entries from the 10 ASEAN Member States, seven (7) photos and four (4) videos featuring ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) and wildlife stood out in the 7th staging of Zooming in on Biodiversity (ZIOB), a photo and video contest organised by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).
With the theme, Biodiversity in Action, the ZIOB has “Caught in the Act” as its main category to capture wildlife in action in their natural habitats.
Garnering the highest number of votes from the panel of judges as well as from social media was a captivating photo of a bird feeding its young by Duong Cong Son from Viet Nam. This was followed by a kingfisher in the water by Thigh Wanna from Myanmar (Second Place) and a stunning photo of a snake catching a prey by Aye Chan Tun (Third Place) also from Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the AHP category remained as another category highlighting the natural and cultural richness of AHPs. This year, entries from the captivating Inlay Lake in Myanmar dominated the entries, Nyein Nyein Htwe’s evening shot of three fishermen illuminated by lamps won first place. The second place went to Kaung Khant Thaw depicting two fishermen catching fish through a traditional method while third place went to Thong Nguyen from Viet Nam for his captivating shot of Ba Be Lake. In addition, Jasper Sarmiento’s A Misty Landscape of Mt. Makiling in the Philippines earned the hearts of more than 7,000 social media followers earning the People’s Choice Award in this category.
Life in AHPs” category winners (L-R): Night Life of Fisherman featuring Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary by Nyein Nyein Htwe of Myanmar (First Place), Fisherman Life featuring Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary by Kaung Khant Thaw of Myanmar ((Second Place), Fishing on Ba Be Lake by Thong Nguyen of Viet Nam (Third Place), and A Misty Landscape of Mt. Makiling by Jasper Sarmiento of the Philippines (People’s Choice).
TikTok Winners
The 2024 ZIOB aimed to further expand its social media engagement by inviting ASEAN citizens to share original content such as visual arts, prose, poetry, music, and performance while promoting biodiversity conservation through the third category, #BiodiversiToks on TikTok.
(L-R) The Biodiversitoks winners: Buhabi: Buhay sa Gabi by Ferd Torres (First Place), Ukit Kaalaman: Philippine Spotted Deer Leaf Art by Edimar Paclibar (Second Place), Birding is Fun! But it is more rewarding if we do it ethically by Ahmad Amir Isqandar (Third Place), and The Role of Technology in Speeding Up the Fight Against Biodiversity Loss by Mark Cedrick Capareda (People’s Choice).
Entries from the Philippines dominated the first edition of Biodiversitoks, including the first placer Buhabi: Buhay sa Gabi (Life at Night)—a short e-comics about a young boy discovering the nocturnal species in his mother’s home province. The second place winner, Ukit Kaalaman: Philippine Spotted Deer Leaf Art shares information about the most endangered species of deer in the world found in the Philippines. A Malaysian entry called Birding is Fun! But it is more rewarding if we do it ethically won Third Place, sharing the wonders of avitourism (birdwatching tourism) and ethical birding. The sci-fi inspired entry from the Philippines called Role of Technology in Speeding Up the Fight Against Biodiversity Loss won the hearts of the netizens and emerged as the People’s Choice.
This year’s contest featured guest judges—ACB’s Young ASEAN Storytellers Ms. Celine Murillo from the Philippines and Mr. Aung Chan Thar from Myanmar. For each category, winners will receive USD1,000 for First Place, USD 700 for Second Place, USD 500 for Third Place, and USD 300 for People’s Choice.
Since 2009, the ACB’s Zooming In on Biodiversity Photo Contest has been generating impressive collections of photographs that not just capture flora and fauna species in the ASEAN region but also communicate the relationship of biodiversity with related and emerging fields such as climate change, food security, livelihood, and health. Past themes were as follows: Biodiversity and Me (2009), Biodiversity and Climate Change (2013), Biodiversity for Sustainable Development (2015), Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity (2018), Healing with Biodiversity: Building a Better Normal (2020), and #WeAreASEANBiodiversity (2021).