Three photographers honoured in Malaysia National Award

• Work to be exhibited at Somerset House, London
• Winner receives flight to London to attend Sony World Photography Awards gala ceremony plus Sony digital imaging equipment

14 May:  Three stunning images by Malaysia photographers are today honoured in the Malaysia National Award, part of the prestigious 2013 Sony World Photography Awards.

Seeking to uncover the best amateur photographers from across Malaysia, the winners and runners up of the National Award are:
• Chen Wei Seng, Winner
• Muhamad Saleh Bin Dollah, 2nd place
• Toh Seng Nee, 3rd place

One of the judges for the winning photographs is Kikuo Okura, Sony Malaysia’s Managing Director.

Chen Wei Seng’s winning image, titled “Pacu Jawi (Bull Race)”, is a dynamic shot of Parapan Sapi, a world-famous, traditional folk festival in Padang, Indonesia.  The shot was taken at the height of the race and captures the excitement of the jockey as he storms ahead while holding the tails of the two bridled bulls. The Pacu Jawi was held in Batu Sangkar, West Sumatra of Indonesia.

[Chen Wei Seng, 1st Place, Malaysia National Award, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards] [Title- Pacu Jawi (Bull race)] Split Second, Open Competition 2013.

A freelance photographer and doctor by professional, Chen WS started photography as a hobby at the tender age of 13, back then, photography was expensive with film and prints. He learnt photography through experience sharing with like-minded people and by the Internet age, he discovered a market place for hobbyist photographers like himself to sell his images online. Today, he shoots for sports events for foreign photo agencies, event companies and also manages stock photographs and sells fine art prints.  Talking about his win Chen comments: “It feels great. I must say I was very lucky to get this shot because unlike the conventional track events, athletics usually run at a straight line, whereas the bulls run anywhere they like and you have to be at the right place, the right time with the right angle to capture the shots.”

[Muhamad Saleh Dollah, 2nd Place, Malaysia National Award] [Title - Mask dancers] Arts and Culture, Open Competition 2013.

The 2nd place image, by Muhamad Saleh Bin Dollah, shows an elder performing the traditional “Tari Topeng (Mask Dance)” and Toh Seng Nee, in 3rd place, captures behind the scene of artists doing their make-ups before a show.

As the winner of the Malaysia National Award, Chen won a ticket to London to attend the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Gala Ceremony on 25 April and received the Sony A99 camera plus lens.  Muhamad received the Sony A77 and Toh the Sony A65.

[Seng Nee Toh, 3rd Place, Malaysia National Award] [Title - Make-up ] Arts and Culture, Open Competition 2013.

All three images were showcased as part of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at the famous Somerset House, London from 26 April – 12 May.

The Sony World Photography Awards is one of the world’s largest photography programmes.  Bringing together the very best international contemporary photography, the awards seek to uncover emerging photography talent and support established artists.  For further information please go to: www.worldphoto.org