'Ở Nhà Tránh Dịch' (Stay Home to Avoid the Pandemic) by photographer Lê Tuệ from HCM City won the gold medal for conceptual category in the Việt Nam Art Photo Contest and Exhibition 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist

HÀ NỘI — A contest seeking the best photographic works in 2022 has been launched by the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The biennial event is expected to create a playground for photographers across the country, introduce the best photographic artworks to both the national and international public and at the same time, summarise and evaluate the achievements of Vietnamese photography in the past two years.

Eligible applicants of the "Việt Nam Art Photo Contest and Exhibition 2022" include both professional and non-professional photographers who are Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese, aged at least 18 years old.

The entries, which are required to be created from July 2020 to July 2022, will compete in two categories: realistic and conceptual photos. Their content must reflect contemporary life, people, culture, landscape, nature, the construction and defence of the nation, or efforts in the fight against natural disasters and epidemics. The entries could also reveal problems of contemporary life, thoughts, opinions, ideas about life or have other content towards the values of truth, goodness and beauty.

The organising committee will award two sets of prizes for two photo categories with a total of 30 winners, including two gold medals, four silver medals, eight bronze medals, and 16 consolation prizes.

The contest is open for entries at anhnghethuatvietnam2022.com until July.

The closing and opening ceremony of the Việt Nam Art Photo Contest and Exhibition 2022 is expected to take place in October in HCM City and November in Hà Nội. The online exhibition takes place from October 2022.

The contest of 2020 received 12,480 entries by 1,516 photographers from 63 provinces and cities nationwide after over four months, the highest number ever recorded. VNS