The photo, titled Mother’s Hope, taken by Malaysian Edwin Ong Wee Kee, won Grand Prize at the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) this year. But controversy erupted after the result was announced, with evidence surfacing that the photo might have been staged. Another photographer, Ab Rashid, shared on his Facebook page a behind-the-scenes photo with the same characters in the photo, the ethnic minority mother and her two children. Rashid’s photo showed many lensmen taking pictures at the same time. Kee took the photo, which captures a H’Mong mother with a speech disorder holding her children, during a recent trip to Vietnam's northern Yen Bai Province. The behind-the-scenes photo, showing many photographers taking multiple shots of the ethnic minority mother and her children. Photo courstesy of Ab Rashid. Photography websites Petapixel and Picofacia also weighed in on the award, both commenting on Rashid's exposure. "As you … [Read more...] about $120,000 Grand Prize winning photo captures controversy
Award winning one page websites
March 11-17: National Assembly Standing Committee convenes 32nd session
National Assembly Standing Committee convenes 32nd session The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee convened its 32nd session in Hanoi, from March 11 to 13, under the chair of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Five bills were tabled for discussion at the meeting, including the draft law amending and supplementing some articles of the law on state audit, the draft revised law on militia and self-defence forces, the draft law on architecture, the draft revised law on education and the draft law on libraries. The NA Standing Committee also looked into a draft resolution on handling tax debts and fines on overdue debts of tax payers. The Committee also adopted a resolution regulating the military ranks of lieutenant general and major general, which have yet to be set specified in the 2018 Law on People’s Public Security Forces. Minister highlights Vietnam’s commitment to gender equality at UN forum Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung (first from … [Read more...] about March 11-17: National Assembly Standing Committee convenes 32nd session
Canon controversy: Photo alteration a ‘no no’
More than 3,000 people responded to a fast photography challenge in Hanoi last week. The sole grand prize for the challenge, Canon Photomarathon Vietnam, was won by a photo taken by amateur Tran Huu Long, which was submitted under the “Hard Working” category. On October 28, the awards ceremony showed Long’s winning picture, which had a dog meat sign (THIT CHO) in the background. However, when this image was released and circulated in the media by Canon Vietnam, the word "cho" (dog) at the top-right corner of the photo was replaced with "ga" (chicken). The change triggered a debate over the ethics of “photoshopping” contest entries and plunged the competition into its worst controversy in the 13 years it has been held in the country. Tran Huu Long’s altered Grand Prize picture in the category, Hard-Working. Hard Working, Passion, and Vietnam’s Pride were the three subject categories in the competition. The contest, held in Hanoi and … [Read more...] about Canon controversy: Photo alteration a ‘no no’
Cong Phuong and Quang Hai promise to shine at AFF Cup 2018
This year, Thailand’s midfield maestro Chanathip Songkrasin, the only player in the tournament’s 11-year history to win the award twice in a row, in 2014 and 2016, cannot join the Thai squad at the biennial event. Therefore, the most prestigious personal prize in this year's campaign will certainly change owners. The AFF Cup's home page has run an article listing six potential names who are expected to shine in the region's biggest competition, which will kick start in the next few days. Notably, Vietnam is the only team with two representatives on this list, namely home favourite Quang Hai and Cong Phuong. It is no accident that only 16 months after making his international debut, Quang Hai has already been regarded as one of the leading contenders for the MVP award. Writing about the Hanoi club midfielder, the AFF website commented: "It seems remarkable, at what will be his maiden AFF Suzuki Cup competition, that Nguyen Quang Hai is already regarded as one of the leading … [Read more...] about Cong Phuong and Quang Hai promise to shine at AFF Cup 2018