Canon PhotoMarathon 2014 launched

The Canon PhotoMarathon, after nine years in Vietnam, has become an annual platform for photography enthusiasts to meet, learn and compete with each other. Another PhotoMarathon event will take place a week later on October 4 in Ho Chi Minh’s District 7 stadium, and is expected to draw an extraordinary number of participants, breaking last year's attendance record.

More than just a simple photography contest, Canon PhotoMarathon 2014 aims to embrace the essence of Vietnamese culture. This is reflected in the topics given to contestants.

“Through the Canon PhotoMarathon contest, we hope to build a community of dedicated photographers, and give attending enthusiasts the opportunity to challenge themselves and cultivate experience from other players. These talented individuals will help us to bring forward the beauty of Vietnam’s culture to the arts community - nationally and internationally,” said Nick Yoshida, president and CEO of Canon Marketing Vietnam.

“This theme is in line with our corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei’, which means ‘live and work together for the common good’,” he added.

Last year’s contest welcomed Nguyen Thanh Hai (Maika Elan) as the judge for the Ho Chi Minh City competition, while Nguyen Hai Phong was the judge for the Hanoi installment. They were the first two Vietnamese judges to be involved in the PhotoMarathon over the eight years of the competition’s existence in Vietnam.

In order to give a more comprehensive perspective on Vietnamese culture during the evaluation stage of the judging process, the organising committee decided to add one more Vietnamese member to the judging board in 2014.

Photographer Hoang Giang Hai has become a familiar name to photographers nationwide by making it into the world top 18 of the National Geographic “Your Shot” competition. Hai has acknowledged PhotoMarathon as an ideal platform for photographers to improve their expertise through practical work.

The Canon PhotoMarathon 2014 also features the participation of a foreign judge: Justin Mott, a commercial media photographer, who has lived in Southeast Asia for over seven years. His works have won many prestigious photography awards (including the 28th American Photography Awards, and the Greg Robinson Memorial Award), and have been exhibited in many galleries worldwide.

Photography fans in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh will have an opportunity to listen to the three veteran judges’ personal experiences in photography. Additionally, this year's contest also offers a new feature called the "30 Day Challenge", which will be held online with the prize pool worth up to $20,000.

Similar to previous contests, the prizes in for the Canon PhotoMarathon in Hanoi includes one special award and three prizes in different categories.

The special award—a professional training photography course at the Photo Clinic in Japan with other winners from neighbouring countries (Singapore, Malaysia, India, Cambodia, and Thailand)—will be awards to one lucky and talented winner.

In addition, the winners of this special prize will be given a Canon EOS 6D camera and a PIXMA MG7170 photo printer.

The remaining awards include first prize, second prize and third prize for each contest theme. Accordingly, winners of the first prize will receive a Canon EOS 700D Kit 18-55mm and a Canon PIXMA MG2570 photo printer; winners of the second prize to receive a Canon EOS 600D Kit 18-55mm and a Canon PIXMA MG2570 photo printer; and winners of the third prize to get a Canon EOS 1200D Kit 18-55mm and a Canon PIXMA MG2570 photo printer.

The competition in Ho Chi Minh City will have a similar prize structure.

Another new feature of this year's contest is that the full registration fee from the competitors will be used by Canon’s charity fund to build new classrooms for students in remote areas.

The CRS, a charity run by Canon, is designed to provide support for students in poverty-stricken areas. Each year, with the target of creating a better learning condition for children living in poverty, this charity group of Canon’s will help to build new facilities and give out stationary equipment for students.

With the funds raised from this year’s contestants in Hanoi, Din Chi School in Chieng On village, Son La, will be constructed in early 2015. The school principal will also be present at the award ceremony to personally receive the money donated through the Canon PhotoMarathon 2014.

Canon PhotoMarathon is proud of their continued partnership with SanDisk, Western Digital, Coca-Cola, and Sagaso café throughout the competition.