Winners of the “Hundred Faces of Tainan” Photography Competition Released - Mayor Huang Wei-che Praised Entries for Highlighting the Beauty of Tainan
Posted Date:2025-09-01
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Introduce
To promote spotlight tourism in Tainan, the Tainan City Government is not only continuing to advertising the media, invite celebrities to film marketing videos, host monthly themed events, launch spotlight itineraries, coordinate vendor promotion, and set up marketing stalls, but also hosted the “Hundred Faces of Tainan” photography competition to showcase the diverse charms and rich cultural heritage of Tainan’s attractions through pictures.
Total prize money for “Hundred Faces of Tainan” amounted to NT$150,000. This was split between one gold medal, one silver medal, one bronze medal, 12 high distinction awards, and 10 merit awards. Competition was intense with 665 entries received. Experts and academics were invited by the Tourism Bureau to hold public panels and multiple rounds of judging. Ultimately, 25 entries were selected from the many photos received. The gold medal went to “Sunset Over the Tree of Life” taken by Cheng Mei-Hsin. The gold, silver, and bronze medal winners each received NT$30,000, NT$20,000, and NT$10,000 in prize money, respectively. High Distinction and Merit award winners each received NT$5,000 and NT$3,000, respectively.
Mayor Huang Wei-che expressed his delight after viewing the winning entries. “These 6 attractions are already well-known photography hot spots. Many photography enthusiasts frequently stop by as well. The winning entries this year were all the more spectacular. Members of the public with a passion for photography are encouraged to travel across Tainan to capture the wonder and beauty of Tainan through their camera lens. These can then be shared through different platforms to boost the visibility of Tainan and serve as private-sector ambassadors of Tainan.”
Canon Taiwan instructor Ho Nan-huei had judged at many photography competitions, including the Taiwan station of Fotopro Asia Awards, and had this to say about the gold medal winner: “The hues in this gold medal entry were perfect. The composition was simple yet balanced. The theme was communicated without appearing forced, and the sun was in just the right place. The small human figure does not stand out, yet it proved to be the finishing touch that imbued the image with both motion and stillness. The ripples in the reflection conveyed to the viewer a sense of tranquility and beauty that perfectly captured the beauty of the sunset by the sea.” Photography artist Wang Su-man, a local of Tainan City’s Yanfen region who had hosted several photography exhibitions, said of the silver medalist: “The subject of the silver medal entry was the seasonal algal growth on Tainan’s Golden Coast. The colors of the sunset on the cloud gave the image added depth and complexity. A low shutter speed was used to express the beauty of the sea waves. The unique technique stood out from the crowd.” Fan Ju-wan, Associate Professor with the Department of Visual Arts and Design at the National University of Tainan, is an expert in image and visual arts. She said: “The standard of the entries this time was quite high. Every creator demonstrated their passion for photography as well as their strong interest in the local culture and scenery of Tainan. The bronze medalist offered a unique interpretation of Tainan as seen through the photographer’s eye. The photographer used his keen observation skills to capture the unique atmosphere of the historic city. The history and cultural motif of the octagonal tower was cleverly reflected through the shadows on the ground through the use of saturated colors and a sense of stillness in motion. The overall composition presented not only the historic appearance of Yanshuei, but it also emphasized the energy and vitality of the region.”
Director-General Lin Kuo-hua from the Tourism Bureau added that the competition attracted many photography enthusiasts who took photos during their travels. In addition to generating tourism value for Tainan, the competition gathered many superb photographs of Tainan. The shortlisted entries will be used for the promotion of Taiwan tourism in the future and uploaded to the travel photo gallery of Tainan. Agencies or members of the public may apply to license these images to help promote the beauty of Tainan.
According to the Tourism Bureau, the full list of winners will be published on the Travel Tainan website and Tainan Travel Facebook fan page once the competition is over. For the first time, the competition will use both online and offline registration processes. Some of the outstanding entries were unfortunately disqualified because they did not complete the registration process. All entrants are therefore asked to read the registration rules carefully to avoid disappointment.
Total prize money for “Hundred Faces of Tainan” amounted to NT$150,000. This was split between one gold medal, one silver medal, one bronze medal, 12 high distinction awards, and 10 merit awards. Competition was intense with 665 entries received. Experts and academics were invited by the Tourism Bureau to hold public panels and multiple rounds of judging. Ultimately, 25 entries were selected from the many photos received. The gold medal went to “Sunset Over the Tree of Life” taken by Cheng Mei-Hsin. The gold, silver, and bronze medal winners each received NT$30,000, NT$20,000, and NT$10,000 in prize money, respectively. High Distinction and Merit award winners each received NT$5,000 and NT$3,000, respectively.
Mayor Huang Wei-che expressed his delight after viewing the winning entries. “These 6 attractions are already well-known photography hot spots. Many photography enthusiasts frequently stop by as well. The winning entries this year were all the more spectacular. Members of the public with a passion for photography are encouraged to travel across Tainan to capture the wonder and beauty of Tainan through their camera lens. These can then be shared through different platforms to boost the visibility of Tainan and serve as private-sector ambassadors of Tainan.”
Canon Taiwan instructor Ho Nan-huei had judged at many photography competitions, including the Taiwan station of Fotopro Asia Awards, and had this to say about the gold medal winner: “The hues in this gold medal entry were perfect. The composition was simple yet balanced. The theme was communicated without appearing forced, and the sun was in just the right place. The small human figure does not stand out, yet it proved to be the finishing touch that imbued the image with both motion and stillness. The ripples in the reflection conveyed to the viewer a sense of tranquility and beauty that perfectly captured the beauty of the sunset by the sea.” Photography artist Wang Su-man, a local of Tainan City’s Yanfen region who had hosted several photography exhibitions, said of the silver medalist: “The subject of the silver medal entry was the seasonal algal growth on Tainan’s Golden Coast. The colors of the sunset on the cloud gave the image added depth and complexity. A low shutter speed was used to express the beauty of the sea waves. The unique technique stood out from the crowd.” Fan Ju-wan, Associate Professor with the Department of Visual Arts and Design at the National University of Tainan, is an expert in image and visual arts. She said: “The standard of the entries this time was quite high. Every creator demonstrated their passion for photography as well as their strong interest in the local culture and scenery of Tainan. The bronze medalist offered a unique interpretation of Tainan as seen through the photographer’s eye. The photographer used his keen observation skills to capture the unique atmosphere of the historic city. The history and cultural motif of the octagonal tower was cleverly reflected through the shadows on the ground through the use of saturated colors and a sense of stillness in motion. The overall composition presented not only the historic appearance of Yanshuei, but it also emphasized the energy and vitality of the region.”
Director-General Lin Kuo-hua from the Tourism Bureau added that the competition attracted many photography enthusiasts who took photos during their travels. In addition to generating tourism value for Tainan, the competition gathered many superb photographs of Tainan. The shortlisted entries will be used for the promotion of Taiwan tourism in the future and uploaded to the travel photo gallery of Tainan. Agencies or members of the public may apply to license these images to help promote the beauty of Tainan.
According to the Tourism Bureau, the full list of winners will be published on the Travel Tainan website and Tainan Travel Facebook fan page once the competition is over. For the first time, the competition will use both online and offline registration processes. Some of the outstanding entries were unfortunately disqualified because they did not complete the registration process. All entrants are therefore asked to read the registration rules carefully to avoid disappointment.
