The winning entries of the National Geographic Hong Kong Photo Contest 2023 have been unveiled across six categories that capture the essence of the city. The subjects of the photographs range from iconic buildings such as the International Finance Centre and International Commerce Centre, landmark sea crossings like the Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge, and participants in the Cross Harbour Race.
Entries under five of the categories — Landscape, Ecology, City, People, and Historic Buildings — were meant to be shot on cameras, while those under the sixth category, Mobile Photography, were exclusively meant for images captured on cellphones. This is the seventh year in a row that the exhibition has been held, and the winners in each category will receive HK$10,000, as well as have their photographs published in the Traditional Chinese version of National Geographic magazine.
Some of the most stunning images include the winner in the Landscape category titled ‘Source of Power’ that was taken by the side of Ting Kau Bridge, as well as the runner-up called ‘Through the Mist’ that shows vehicles crossing Tsing Ma Bridge on a misty Hong Kong day. The winner in the People category, ‘The Cross Harbour Race’, shows swimmers at the first post-pandemic edition of the annual sports event, while the top pick in the Ecology section titled ‘Wings in Waterfall’ features Red-whiskered Bulbuls bathing in a waterfall.
The famous Wong Tai Sin Temple is the subject of the winner in the Historical Buildings category. Titled ‘The Path of Life’, the black-and-white image is a commentary on how no one can escape the inevitable cycle of life. Other images of note selected in this category include ‘Time Traveler in the Rain’ that shows a lone pedestrian walking up Pottinger Street, and ‘In Light and Shadow’ that shows a section of the façade of the historic Peninsula Hotel.
Photographers who submitted entries under the City category had to ensure that their images depicted the pulse of life in Hong Kong, and the winning entry — ‘Stairway to Heaven’ — captured the buzz of living in the 852. ‘Playground’, the first runner-up in this section, can be interpreted as a commentary on the cramped living spaces in the city, while ‘Bustling Mong Kok’ is a peek at one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with its bustling with pedestrians and vehicles in its narrow streets.
This year, there were 9,205 entries for the competition. While the images had to be shot in Hong Kong, there was no restriction on where the entries came from. Therefore, there were participants from Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, the UK, the US, and many other overseas countries and regions.
The winning entries, along with the runners-up and merit recipients, are on display as part of a virtual exhibition until March 24, 2024. They will also be exhibited at SAVVY in Tsim Sha Tsui during the same period.
Image credits: National Geographic
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