National Geographic Thailand Photography Contest 2024
“10 Picture Story” Season 9
Find the best documentary photo story told through 10 photographs
Under the theme:
“FOLLOW THE RIVER”
A PHOTO JOURNEY THROUGH THE HEART OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
Tell a story through photographs of the rivers of Southeast Asia.
The submission extended to August 15, 2024
Concept:
Rivers are vital lifelines that nourish lands and sustain life. Over centuries, they have given rise to diverse cultures and civilizations along their banks.
Today, many rivers face threats from human activities like dams, pollution, and climate change, disrupting their natural flows.
By following rivers’ paths, we can unveil essential stories that need to be told—about environmental issues impacting them, the Indigenous peoples and communities who depend on them, and advocating for the protection of rivers that may be overlooked.
Rivers have flowed through history as witnesses to the rise and fall of societies. But now, we must listen to the rivers’ stories before they run dry or are forever altered. These lifelines that sustain our world can no longer be taken for granted.
Geographic Scope:
We invite you to look broadly at the interconnected rivers of Southeast Asia, especially the major rivers like the Mekong, Irrawaddy, Salween, Chaopraya and Red River, as well as the other rivers and tributaries that affect the region’s environment, wildlife, vegetation, and way of life. Depict the facts about the state of the rivers and reveal the challenges faced by both rivers and humans. You can freely interpret the river stories from any perspective.
Entrants must submit ten sequential photographs as one documentary photo story, along with a concept statement of up to 1,000 characters reflecting new perspectives.
Each of the ten photos must have a caption (up to 300 characters).
Judging Criteria:
Artistic beauty and composition of the photographs
Creativity and fresh perspective in presenting the documentary photos
All photos should qualify as “documentary photographs” that can be sequenced to tell one story
Judges:
Nitikorn Kraivixien, Photographer, Director of Art and Cultural, Thai Beverage Public Company Limited
Tul Hirunyalawan, Photographer, President of The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand
Roengchai Kongmuang, Documentary Photographer
Representatives from National Geographic Thailand – Jeremiah Pitakwong, CEO – Media and Event Business of Amarin Corporations PCL / Kowit Phadungruangkij, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Thailand / Ekkarat Panyatara, Senior Photographer of National Geographic Thailand
Conditions:
Eligibility: Open to all individuals, freelance or professional photographers of any age (individuals or teams up to 3 people per team). Each entry can submit only 1 photo story.
The photo story must be previously unpublished in any public media, contests, etc.
Photos previously shared on personal social media are allowed if not the complete set or presented as a documentary story concept.
Retouched photos that distort reality will not be considered.
Contestants submitting entries must be the photographer and have written the documentary concept themselves. An artificial intelligence (AI) system cannot generate the photos. Contestants must also own the copyright for all submitted photographs, and the submission must not violate any copyrights.
For submitting entries: Send photos online. Low-resolution files not exceeding 10 MB per photo are accepted. Suppose your entry is selected as one of the 10 finalists. In that case, you must provide the raw files to verify ownership of the photos and prepare high-resolution image files not exceeding 30 MB (or a maximum of 5000 pixels on the longest side) per photo to send to the organizers.
The top 10 finalists grant Amarin Corporation permission to use their photos for advertising, PR, and exhibitions related to this project.
The top 10 finalists grant all project sponsors permission to use photos for online PR activities related to this project for 12 months.
The top 10 finalists grant the main sponsor permission to publish part of their work in a booklet about “River” for 12 months.
Unless for PR purposes, winners can publish their work elsewhere (except National Geographic Magazine Thai Edition) after 6 months from the results announcement.
Entries violating any rules will be disqualified.
Judges reserve rights over judging methods and criteria. Decisions are final.
Timeline:
Entry Deadline: Thursday, August 15, 2024 (23:59 Bangkok time)
Top 10 Finalists Announcement: August 23, 2024, on www.ngthai.com and Facebook: National Geographic Thailand
Popular Vote: August 30 – September 15, 2024 on Facebook
Presentation by Top 10 Finalists: *Change the date to Thursday, August 29, 2024, at Amarin Corporations PCL. See map https://maps.app.goo.gl/4SJ1P2NCb3pu96Pp6
Winners Announcement & Awards: Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Sustainability Expo 2024, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC)
Photo Exhibition: September 27 – October 6, 2024 at Sustainability Expo 2024, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC)
How to Enter:
Register at click here, create ID and password, provide details
Sign in
Upload 10 sequentially numbered photos as 1 photo story (each file must be at most 10 MB)
Provide a caption for each photo (≤300 characters)
Provide the title of the photo story
Provide concept statement (500-1,000 characters)
Please verify the accuracy before submitting all information. After submitting your entry, you can still log in and edit the details until the final submission deadline (August 15, 2024). The system will close at 23:59 on that day. After the deadline, contestants can still log in to view their submitted work but cannot make any further edits or photo submissions.
*Note: All contestants whose entries are selected as one of the 10 finalists must present their national ID card on the day of the entry presentation. The ID card must match the one registered on the website.
Special Prize: “River in Peace” Prize: 20,000 THB cash, sponsored by Crystal
Special Prize*: Canon EOS R8 camera, Value: 64,790 baht sponsored by Canon
*Conditions for Canon-chosen photographers
Canon-chosen photographer is required to:
1. Take 5-10 photos with the EOS R8 camera
2. Post these photos on their personal social media once
3. Include the hashtags #CanonThailand #CanonImagingThailand #EOSR8 in the post
Canon requests shared copyright of these images to use on various channels, including digital media, print, and Canon’s activities. Canon will provide credit when using the images.
Popular Vote Prize: 1-year National Geographic Thai Editon Magazine subscription
3 Voter Prizes: 6-month National Geographic Thai Editon Magazine subscription