UCLG ASPAC Photo Contest and Essay Competition

As a part of the 9th UCLG ASPAC Congress, a 2023 Photo Contest and Essay Competition will be ‘held to promote the event and encourage economic development post-pandemic era. The competition is open to the public and the participants are requested to submit their entries virtually/online. A board of jury will review the open call submissions and select the winner for every category.

Categories

• Photo Contest
  • The Photo Contest will have four categories with one winner for every category and one Favourite Winner. These are:
    • Trade and Industrial Advancement Post-pandemic Era
      • This category seeks photos depicting the growth of economic development.
    • Youth Involvement in Development
      • This category seeks photos depicting the youth’s direct or indirect involvement in economic development.
    • Promoting Innovative Local Development
      • The pandemic has affected almost every aspect of daily lives. In one way or another, this condition has ignited the spark of creativity among people as they adapt their daily routines to the new normal. This category seeks photos portraying the ‘creativity’ of the realm of economic development.
    • Rural-urban Interconnectivity
      • This category seeks photos illustrating the importance of rural and urban areas and their linkages in the context of economic development.
    • Favourite Award
      • There will also be one winner for Favourite Award. The winner of this category will be decided by the voting of the five shortlisted photos on the platform/link provided in the UCLG ASPAC’s website (will be provided later).
      • The voting will be conducted by the public. Photos that already won from other categories will not be included in this Award.
• Essay Competition
  • It has two categories of essayist:
    • Youth from any nationalities aged 15-25; and
    • Accredited/Professional journalists.
    • Aligned with the main theme of the Congress “Advancing Balanced Economic Development for Asia and the Pacific,” the essayists can choose the following five (5) sub-topics:
      • Industrial Upgrading
      • Trade Promotion
      • Youth Entrepreneurship
      • Child-Friendliness
      • Rural Revitalisation.

Prize Information

• Photo Contest
  • Each category will have one winner. Each winner will receive 500 USD and a certificate.
  • Winners from the Photo Contest will be invited virtually to the Winners Gathering during the 9th UCLG ASPAC Congress Meeting.
• Essay Competition
  • The following awards will be given in the Youth’s category and Journalist’s category respectively:
    • A prize of USD 750, USD 600, and USD 500 for the first, second and third winners under the Journalist Category.
    • A prize of USD 500, USD 400, and USD 300 for the first, second and third winners under the Youth Category.
  • Winners will be invited virtually to the Winners Gathering during the 9th UCLG ASPAC Congress Meeting.

Rules and Regulations

• Photo Contest
  • The photo/s must be original, created, and/or taken by the participant.
  • The submitted photo/s must be free of any binding agreement with a third party that might hold UCLG ASPAC liable for payment to any individual or entity in connection with the images’ copyright or their use.
  • The submitted photo/s must not contain any symbol that represents any sensitive political issues.
  • The applying participants accept the stipulations of the rules and regulations wholly and absolutely.
  • UCLG ASPAC reserves the right to review the suitability of the participants to the criteria and to rule in any dispute that may arise at any time on this issue.

• Essay Competition
  • Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of September 30, 2023) for the Youth Category.
  • There is no minimum age requirement for the Journalists Category. However, only journalists accredited by their Press Card could join the essay competition.
  • Essays must be original/originally written by the entrant. Therefore, all sources must be cited and referred to the respective part in the essay as all entries will be tested for plagiarism.
  • Only one essay entry is allowed.
  • Essays must be unpublished.
  • Contents of the essay must adhere to the ‘One China Policy’ and must not contain or represent any sensitive political issues.

For more information, visit UCLG ASPAC.