Filipino photographers won big at the annual APEC photo contest for 2021 out of over a thousand photo submissions, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday, Nov. 12.
Three entries from the Philippines highlighting the distance learning situation in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic bagged the top prizes, which were announced on Nov. 8 by New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’ Connor.
The winners are Froiland Rivera, Roxanne Paraiso, and Rober Marrel Dela Vega.
“The winning photo by Froiland Rivera and the Popular Choice Award winner, Robert Marrel Dela Vega, highlighted innovation and digitalization as a tool for recovery by capturing remote learning as lessons went virtual due to school closures.” the APEC Secretariat’s announced.
Rivera’s “Online Learning” entry won first prize while fellow Filipinos Paraiso’s “A Small Act is A Huge Help” won second place and Dela Vega’s “Pandemic: Education and innovation” entry won the Popular Choice Award, respectively.
Photo submissions showed the creative interpretation of APEC 2021’s theme “Join, Work, Grow. Together.” and priorities including road to strengthening economic recovery; inclusive and sustainable recovery; and innovation and a digitally-enabled recovery.
On its 10th year, the APEC Photo Contest 2021 received more than 1,200 photo submissions from 16 different member economies including Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States, and Viet Nam.