MANILA - The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress organizers announced on Friday the winners of the EAS Congress 2009 Regional Photo Contest, which was organized by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and co-sponsored by Hewlett Packard Philippines.

Running from July 2008 to February 2009, the contest received more than 500 photographs submitted by 187 photographers from 12 countries in the East Asian region, namely Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam .

The three grand prize winners are:

Professional Category - Mr. Tan Ee Long (Malaysia), for his rendition showing interdependence between man and nature entitled "People and Birds Living Together in Peace";

Hobbyist Category - Mr. Ee Cheng Lee (Malaysia) for his untitled photo that captured amazing details of a clean, serene river while a woman collects floating soda cans; and,

Youth Category - Mr. Rogie Eloise Abala (Philippines) for his photograph "Seaweed Planting," an interesting photo depicting seaweed farming as an alternative livelihood to fisher folks and their families;

The grand prize winners get a free trip to attend the East Asian Seas Congress 2009. HP printers will also be awarded to the 3 winners.

The entries underwent two rounds of evaluation and were assessed based on relevance to the theme (35%); composition and creativity (35%); and clarity and technical quality (30%).

The preliminary evaluation was conducted by each country's PEMSEA National Focal Point.

Photos were narrowed down to the best entries to represent each country in the final evaluation.

Thirty-three final entries then moved to the concluding evaluation carried out by a panel of judges comprised of respected environment photography experts and enthusiasts, namely Mr. Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan of World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Philippines), Dr. Gil Jacinto of University of the Philippines - Marine Science Institute and Dr. Cora Claudio of EARTH Institute.

Co-sponsor HP Philippines also participated in the judging, represented by its General Manager, Ms. Jenny Sotto-Siquioco.

"The array of photographs we received captured the actions and initiatives in sustainable coastal and ocean protection, development and management in the region," said PEMSEA Executive Director Raphael P. M. Lotilla.

"We are happy with the response to the contest from such a diverse group of photographers, cultures and experiences. We are looking forward to showcasing the winning entries in the SEAnergies exhibit of the EAS Congress," he said.

Special awards were also given to entries that received the largest number of votes via online voting conducted in April.

The Online Favorites are:

Youth - Child/Odion 01 ( Philippines );

Hobbyist - Dried Fish at the Shore ( Philippines ); and,

Professional - Bakawan/Mangrove ( Philippines ).

PEMSEA is a regional coordinating mechanism focused on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).
It is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Please visit www.pemsea.org for more information.

The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress is a triennial event that was first conducted in 2003. It is a pioneering region-wide platform for capacity building, strategic action and cooperation for the sustainable development of the Seas of East Asia.

The Congress will feature the Third Ministerial Forum, the International Conference on Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Development, the Third EAS Partnership Council Meeting, the Second EAS Youth Forum, the “SEAnergies” Exhibition on Good Practices and Innovative Technologies, Field Visits, and other side events.

It will bring to Manila experts and practitioners from the region and outside, as well as government officials, NGOs and the private sector to tackle implementation issues in the coastal and ocean zones including the impact of climate change and other natural and man-made hazards.

Please visit www.pemsea.org/eascongress for more information. -- PEMSEA press release