Peru's Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Teresa Mera, announced the winners of the annual APEC Photo Contest at the 35th APEC Ministerial Meeting on Thursday.
The APEC Secretariat received a total of 1,800 submissions from 17 different economies. The photos illustrate the region's journey toward sustainable and clean energy for a brighter and prosperous future. The entries also reflect the public's interpretation of the APEC Peru 2024 theme of "Empower. Include. Grow." and the policy priorities focusing on trade and investment for inclusive growth, digital innovation, and sustainable and resilient development.
"Looking at the winning images, we can see that one of the top concerns in the region is addressing climate change and it remains to be a top priority for many APEC economies," said Vice Minister Teresa Mera. "This aligns with our focus this year on promoting the transition to clean energy."
"It is vital that economies strengthen cooperation to advance a sustainable, equitable, affordable, and inclusive energy transition. Together, we are working to build a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come."
Winners of the Photo Contest were evaluated on their interpretation of APEC's priorities, as well as composition, quality and creativity.
The Influencer Award was determined by the most attention received from the public through APEC's Instagram account.
The first prize was awarded to the Solar Power Project by Vũ Nguyễn Trần from Viet Nam for his winning photo - a large solar power installation featuring workers clad in bright orange vests and Vietnamese traditional conical hats also known as Non La. The perfectly aligned rows of solar panels juxtaposed against workers performing maintenance captured the spirit of collaboration among APEC economies.
Here are the winning photos of the APEC Photo Contest 2024:
First prize: Solar Power Project by Vũ Nguyễn Trần from Viet Nam.
Second prize: Igorot Tribesmen Growing Stronger with Solar Power by Jaime Singlador from the Philippines.
Third prize: Floating solar plant and smart farm by Gil Young from the Republic of Korea.
Influencer and Popular Choice Award: Up in the Sky by Hung Do Ba from Viet Nam
The winners were selected by a panel of judges comprising Ambassador Carlos Vasquez, the 2024 Chair of APEC Senior Officials; Dr Rebecca Sta Maria, APEC Secretariat Executive Director; and renowned photojournalists, Jaime Razuri from Peru and Alphonsus Chern and Joseph Nair from Singapore.
Photos were received from Australia; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Republic of Korea; Japan; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Singapore; Thailand; the Philippines; the United States; and Viet Nam.
