Two Taiwanese photographers were among the winners at the Ocean Power Watersports Photography Awards (WPA), the first time anyone from Taiwan has received an honor in the international competition.
The winners of the contest, first held in 2021, were announced on March 8 in Cartagena, Spain.
Wang Chien-yu (王茜瑜) topped the Best Rowing Photography category with a photograph she took in 2018 at a dragon boat race in Hungary. She had accompanied Taiwan’s national dragon boat team to train in the central European country in the lead-up to the 2018 Asian Games.
Photo: Screen grab from CNA
Wang said the piece features bright colors and captures the excitement of the dragon boat race.
“I submitted this photo because it encapsulates power and grace,” she said yesterday.
Wang, who has run a blog documenting dragon boat racing in Taiwan for 10 years, said that although the athletes in her winning photo were not Taiwanese, she was happy it helped the sport gain more international exposure.
Photo: Screen grab from CNA
She said she was honored to represent Taiwan against photographers from around the world, and that she was moved to see the national flag displayed alongside those of other countries on the event’s social media pages.
“Taiwan is a small country, but we can compete alongside countries like the UK, France and the US,” she said.
Wang Wei-chih (王威智) topped the WPA Best Photography for Ecology category with a photo he took in 2022 of a diver swimming against a backdrop of undersea rock formations, with red coral in the foreground.
Wang Wei-chih, who works as a free diving coach, said he knows of many exclusive beaches around Taiwan, including the spot where he took his winning photo.
The location off the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) in Pingtung County is populated by coral known as “sea fans,” which usually grow in areas with strong currents, he said.
To get to the spot requires traversing a wooded area and a swathe of raised coral reefs, and it is practically unknown except to some anglers, he said.
Triumphing in a category that raises awareness about the preservation of the ecology has provided him food for thought, he said.
“People often visit beaches when they go abroad to see corals or sea creatures, but they can find an abundance of this natural bounty in Taiwan,” he said.
He said he has discovered in his dives that human-created waste such as plastics and trash have posed increasing threats to marine ecology.
He said he hopes that his work would remind people of the beauty of Taiwan’s beaches and motivate them to be more environmentally conscious.
The WPA, now in its fourth edition, are an initiative by the Water Sports Plastic Free Foundation, an organization that works to promote sports, culture and environmental awareness around the sea, a news release by event organizers said.
The international contest not only recognizes excellence in water sports photography, but also promotes a message of respect and protection for the oceans, fostering connections between art, sports and the environment, it said.
The latest edition comprised 17 categories and attracted more than 500 submissions from 27 countries, it said.
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