Photo contest raises awareness of clean water concerns in Vietnam

A clean water-themed photo contest was recently held as part of a UNESCO Vietnam initiative to provide clean water to the local community

The Representative Office of the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations in Ho Chi Minh City announced the launch of its Clean Water and the Environment Project (CWEP) on Tuesday, an initiative which looks to combat the clean water shortage in the country.

The US$5 million project will provide clean water for central and southern Vietnamese localities where clean water sources have been threatened by recurrent drought, floods, and soil salinization.

The three-year project was launched with a ‘clean water’ themed photo contest which began in October.

Over 1,000 photo submissions highlighting the impact of water shortages in Vietnam and how locals handle the predicament were entered into the contest.

“While many other photo contests repeat the same topics over and over, UNESCO’s clean water-themed contest is a breath of fresh air for local photography enthusiasts,” photographer Hoang Trung Thuy, a member of the contest’s judging panel, said. “It’s even more meaningful that their photos can be used to raise awareness of environmental protection, water conservation, and building the community.”

Thuy said all of the contest judges were volunteers who received no remuneration for their work.

The three best photos were awarded first, second, and third place prizes of VND10 million ($450), VND5 million ($225), and VND3 million ($135), respectively.

Several consolation prizes worth VND1 million ($45) each were also given to various outstanding submissions.

The first prize-winning photo by Nguyen Van Bao