Launched on 18 August 2009, the 'My Shangri-La' Photography Contest aimed to encourage people to capture the essence of "Shangri-La" through the camera lens while reflecting the "Shangri-La" qualities of grace, natural, serene, mystical, enchanting and caring, and to invite amateurs and professionals to discover their own "Shangri-La" and devote themselves to an eco-friendly new lifestyle.
The contest received 3,772 photographs within two months from over 2,000 photographers who conveyed their own interpretation of "Shangri-La" through their cameras.
The official website of the contest at Sina.com received over 4,700,000 votes on selecting the best photos. Nikon Imaging (China) Sales Company Limited and Malaysia Airlines also participated in the contest by sponsoring cameras and air tickets for the top winners.
The contest presented prizes under five categories, including a Shangri-La Conservation Prize and a Golden Prize.
The winning photographs were the result of a highly professional and critical selection process by a renowned panel of judges, including Oscar winner Timmy Yip; Professor Wang Chuan, Director of Photography Department, School of Design of China Central Academy of Fine Art; media mogul Hong Huang and acknowledged Chinese photographer Zhou Jiansheng.
"We are very pleased and gratified to witness the widely spread passion for our first ‘My Shangri-La' Photography Contest. We meant to inspire people to think and discover the beauty of the world via cameras, and encourage people to care and preserve our nature, and eventually they will find their own ‘Shangri-La'. We will continue to organise activities of such nature in the future," said Kent Zhu, group director of sales and marketing of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.
Oscar winner Tammy Yip, one of the panellists of the judges for the contest, said, "I am delighted to see so many photographs of such high qualities from the contest. Apart from sharing the eco-friendly concept of ‘Shangri-La,' we hope that such a great contest will inspire and encourage amateur and professional photographers to continue their pursuit of capturing beauty and nature, and provide them an open platform to exchange their views."
The Award Ceremony also marks the launch of "My Shangri-La" Photography Contest exhibition tour.
All the winning photographs, together with selective works from the judges, will be exhibited at Shangri-La hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu in December 2009.
List of WinnersShangri-La Conservation Category (one recipient):
- Dawn in Xiaohong Mountain – Li Yayuan (Image 1)
Gold Prize (one recipient):
- Longing – Yu Guofeng (Image 2)
Silver Prize (one recipient):
- The Age of Innocence – Zhang Shengli (Image 3)
Bronze Award (three recipients):
- A Family in Pamir Plateau – Luo Pinxi
- Illusion – He Fa
- In a Faraway Land – Liao Xiaoxi
Excellence Award (10 recipients):
- A Tibetan Girl – Du Ge
- A Beauty from the Heart – Jiang Lei
- Impression of a Bridge – Jiang Lin Xi
- Before the Rain – Jiang Dingfeng
- Potala Temple – Hu Weimin
- The Shangri-La in My Heart – Tan Xiaolong
- Fishing alone on the Li River – Lv Yunhua
- In the Mind – Zhang Jian
- The Peaceful Dusk – Hu Ying
