August 2006

 

May 2006

 

 

 

6th May 2006

 

Above article copied from The Star for your reading comfort

 

Saturday May 6, 2006

 

Malaysia in a day through photos

 

Story and photo by ESTHER CHANDRAN

THE Malaysia in 24hrs Photo Challenge is the first of its kind incorporating three photo challenges within a year.

 

The contest beckons avid photographers to use their imagination and skill to capture photographs on various topics, the best of which will be selected for three coffee-table books.

 

The A Day of Photographic Memory coffee-table books were born from a suggestion by Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ng Lip Yong.

Malaysia in 24hrs founder Stephen Ronee Lau said Ng had suggested publishing coffee-table books which would depict Malaysia in 24 hours through photography as he was impressed by a photography book he had seen overseas.

 

“The whole idea behind the contest is to encourage competitive photography, to freeze moments in time and document them in book form,” said Lau who is also the creative director of Moon Design Studio, the organising company.

 

The contest is divided into; Malaysia in 24hrs Photo Challenge - The Inaugural Project 2006 (April 18 to July 17), Malaysia in 24hrs Photo Challenge - Aquaria KLCC (July 1 and 2) and Malaysia in 24hrs Photo Challenge - Penang 2006 (Aug 21 to 30).

 

The Inaugural Project 2006 launched on April 18 by Deputy Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Wong Kam Hoong encompasses six themes; Malaysian Heritage, Malaysian Smiles, Malaysian Holiday, Malaysian Way of Life, Malaysian Nature and Malaysian Contemporary (technology, building, etc).

 

For this particular project, participants will be required to submit two photographs per theme. The closing date for submission is Aug 3.

 

The Aquaria KLCC challenge would kick off on July 1 at 6pm and would go on until 6am the next day.

 

The entrance fee for two days is RM80 for early birds and RM50 for students.

Lau described Aquaria as a tough challenge as participants are required to stay awake to catch the antics of fishes in the tanks throughout the night.

 

The Penang challenge is the main project.

For this challenge, photographers from all over the world are welcome to participate.

 

“Photographers will be competing for a trophy not only for themselves but also a trophy for their country of origin,” said Lau.

 

The project, he added, is an opportunity to market Penang and Malaysia to the world.

 

Moon Design Studio sales and marketing manager Sham Sunder Binwani said judges would award points to photographs based on the all-encompassing nature of photographs.

 

“The photographs must not only look pretty, they must encapsulate a theme,” said Sham.

 

The contest also gives photographers the chance to explore photo aesthetics and appreciate various aspects of the country.

 

Lau said there are 23 cash prizes up for grabs and the top 1,000 photographs will be selected for each coffee-table book.

 

“Those whose pictures are selected will get a coffee-table book each,” he said.

He added that photographs selected would also be kept in an image library managed by Mind Matters Sdn Bhd.

 

“The rightful owner of any photograph sold will get 60% of the price,” said Lau, adding that photographers would be required to submit negatives or soft copies of their works.

 

He stressed that the contest was open to original works only, and previously

published photographs would be disqualified.

 

“We plan to launch all three books next year in conjunction with Visit Malaysia

 

Year 2007 and 50th National Day celebrations,” said Lau.

 

He added that the books would be written in at least five languages, as they would

be distributed worldwide.

 

For more details, visit www.mastercontest.com

 

 

19th April 2006

 

Above article copied from The Star for your reading comfort.

 

Wednesday April 19, 2006

 

Photo challenge offers a peek into a day in Malaysia

 

KUALA LUMPUR: A collection of 1,000 photographs snapped by amateur and professional photographers will be compiled into a photopedia depicting the lifestyle, culture and scenery in Malaysia.

 

The “Malaysia In 24hrs” photo challenge was launched by Deputy Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Wong Kam Hoong yesterday.

 

It will act as the first part of a series to help promote local interest in photography.

The challenge offers 23 cash prizes, the main prize being RM3,888, while the best 1,000 photos will be compiled and featured in the “Malaysia In 24hrs” A Day of

 

Photographic Memory coffee table book.

Organisers Moon Design Studio will hold two more photo challenges this year –

“Aquaria KLCC 2006” and “Penang 2006”.

 

“I am proud that a Malaysian company is organising events like these to promote photography in Malaysia,” Wong said.

 

“Photographs don't lie as they capture the good, the bad and the ugly, and I believe that we have more good than bad in Malaysia. Nevertheless, this project will help us to strive to rid whatever bad and ugly that's left,” he added.

 

Moon Design's creative director Stephen Ronee Lau said that apart from promoting photography, the challenge was also to promote Malaysia to the world, in line with Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

 

“We really hope that the book will give all its readers an idea of what Malaysia is like in a day. We will select photos that can freeze some of the many facets of Malaysia such as our heritage, our way of life, our scenery and our architecture in a picture,” said Lau.

 

For more information on the photo challenge, call 03-2332 7248 or visit

 

www.mastercontest.com.

 

All participants are required to submit a set consisting of 12 photos – two photos from six given topics ranging from Malaysian Smiles to Malaysian Contemporary.