The HCM City Hát Bội Theatre hosts a photo contest to honour the traditional art form of hát bội (classical drama) and commemorate the 50th anniversary of its establishment. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

HCM CITY — Vietnamese and international professional and amateur photographers are encouraged to participate in a photo contest honouring the cultural and artistic values of hát bội (classical drama).

The contest, with the theme of Hát Bội Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh – Xưa và Nay (Hát Bội in HCM City: Then and Now), is co-organised by the HCM City Hát Bội Theatre and the city’s Photography Association (HPA) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the theatre’s establishment (May 31, 1977 – 2027). 

According to the organisers, the contest is expected to collect documentary photos depicting the development of hát bội in the city over the past 50 years, and pay tribute to generations of artisans and artists' devotion to safeguarding and promoting the unique traditional theatrical art.

In addition, it will help to spread the beauty of the art to a wider audience, especially the younger generation, and raise community awareness on preserving and promoting national cultural heritage, building a progressive Vietnamese culture richly imbued with national identity in an era of development and integration.

The contest comprises two categories: stock images on hát bội in the past and artistic photos on hát bội in the present.

All photos should reflect cultural and artistic values, preservation efforts, and educational and performing activities of hát bội in the city.  

For stock images, entries must have been created before January 1, 2021, and carry historical value about the art through different periods. 

Contestants must provide captions and background of the photos, including location and capture date (if known), the event or activity recorded, and the names of people in the photo (if any), as well as the name of the photographer or the archival source of the photos.

The photos do not need to be taken directly by the contestants but must be obtained from legal sources. The contestants must have legal right to use the works and bear full legal responsibility for their origin, usage rights, and copyright issues. 

Each contestant can submit unlimited entries, including individual photos or collections.

For artistic photos, entries were created by the contestants from January 1, 2021, to the present, reflecting the cultural and artistic values and vitality of hát bội in contemporary cultural life of HCM City, as well as the art's acting, makeup, costumes, props, music, and staging.

Each contestant can submit up to ten entries, including collections or individual photos.

Entries must be submitted in JPG format, with a maximum file size of 5 Megabytes, and sent to the website https://5wphoto.com/thi-anh/hat-boi-xua-nay by December 2.

Contestants will be judged by prestigious photographers from HPA.

The organisers will present a total of two first prizes, three second prizes, and five third prizes.

The awards ceremony and photo exhibition will be held in early 2027.

Hát bội developed from a folk art to a royal art in the central and southern regions.

The genre consists of singing and dancing to music. Its themes include monarchist loyalty and patriotic duty. 

Hát bội plays feature old words, and characters often wear black-and-red facial makeup. 

The art became particularly popular in the 1990s and was often performed at ceremonies and festivals at temples and pagodas in central and southern provinces. — OVN/VNS