In London recently, eight Malaysian photographers were named on the shortlist of the world’s biggest photography competition, the Sony World Photography Awards. The winners included one photographer in the awards’ Professional competition, judged on a series of images, five in the Open competition, judged on a single shot, and two in the Youth competition, for photographers aged 19 and under.
Entries to the awards from Malaysia were up over 143% on 2015 and the photographers were selected from a record-breaking 230,103 entries from 186 countries to secure their place on the shortlist. The total number of entries received by the Sony World Photography Awards since its launch in 2007 has now surpassed 1 million images, reinforcing the awards’ position as one of the most respected and influential photography competitions in the world.
Selected by an expert panel of judges (full list here) the shortlisted Malaysian photographers are:
1. NICK NG, PROFESSIONAL CANDID
One of Sony Malaysia’s Alpha Professional photographers, Nick Ng is based in Kula Lumpur. Ng’s shortlisted series ‘If You Don’t Drink Tea, You Are Not Chinese’ reflects the ancient tradition of Chinese teahouses and offers a last look at a quickly disappearing part of the country’s culture, due mainly to China’s focus on its economic and modernisation policies.
2. KHAIREL ANUAR CHE ANI, OPEN SPLIT SECOND
Born in Perak and now living in Kula Lumpur, Khairel Anuar Che Ani is a selftaught photographer with a graduate diploma in Quantity Surveying. His work has already appeared in several exhibitions and published in both Malaysia and the UK since 2008. The shortlisted image was taken in Bali during the Melasti Festival. The young girls in the photograph are waiting for their turn to perform – each looks stunningly bright but their expressions tell a different story.
3. THENG SIN CHONG, OPEN LOW LIGHT
Amateur photographer Theng Sin Chong loves to travel the world. His shortlisted image “Cemetery in Iceland” captures a bright moon shining on the scene.
4. CHEUNG YIN FANG (ALSO KNOWN AS JOSEPH CHEUNG), OPEN SPLIT SECOND
An avid self-taught photographer based in Kuala Lumpur, Cheung Yin Fang indulges in his photography hobby on weekly basis and makes effort to travel to other countries to photograph. His shortlisted image captures the moment a young boy creates a ‘heart’ shape at the River of Tukad Yeh Unda in Klungkung Sub-District, Klungkung Regency, Bali.
5. SWEE CHOO OH, OPEN ARTS AND CULTURE
Based in the United States, Swee Chooh Oh is an award-winning fine art photographer whose main focus is architecture and interior photography. Oh’s background in architecture, with interest in people, light, form, shadows and textures, deeply influences how she perceives the visual world and her style of photography. Her shortlisted image shows a lady at a lantern store in Hoi An, Vietnam.
6. TAN JIA YI, OPEN TRAVEL
A passionate photographer for over 20 years, Tan Jia Yi runs a photography academy in Selangor Darul Ehsan. His previous work has been recognised internationally, including an award in the 2013 National Geographic Photography Contest. Yi’s shortlisted image “Smiling temple” was taken at Sanur beach, Bali.
7. ZHU LIN CH’NG, YOUTH CULTURE
Ch’ng Zhu Lin is a student and a photographer based in Kuala Lumpur. He discovered photography at high school and has been practicing since 2014. Ch’ng was also shortlisted in the same category at the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards. His image shows a night market in Thailand.
8. RAMADHAN SINCLAIR, YOUTH CULTURE
Seventeen year old Ramadhan Sinclair is from Bangi and is currently studying at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jalan Reko, Kajang, Selangor. Photographing since the age of 13, Sinclair’s shortlisted image, ‘One of the best’, was taken in the terraced fields of rice in Longji, China.
All shortlisted photographers are now competing to win their category and the L’Iris d’Or Photographer of the Year and Open Photographer of the Year titles plus a share of the $30,000 (USD) grand prize. The winners will be announced at a Gala Ceremony in London 21st April and will have their work shown in London as part of the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in April and May. Their works will also be published in the 2016 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards book.
The Sony World Photography Awards rewards and recognises the world’s best contemporary photography from the last year. Attracting photographers of all abilities, the awards incorporate four competitions: Professional; Open; Youth and Student. More information about the awards can be found at: www.worldphoto.org
