{"id":18541,"date":"2021-08-27T14:21:28","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T06:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtcc.com.my\/?p=18541"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:51:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:51:18","slug":"artistic-expressions-of-forests-and-nature-at-mtcc-photography-contest-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/artistic-expressions-of-forests-and-nature-at-mtcc-photography-contest-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Artistic Expressions of Forests and Nature at MTCC Photography Contest 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\"\"
“The bird eye view of wetland forest of Tasek Bera” – <\/em>photographed by Yusuf Bin Madi<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kuala Lumpur, 27 August \u2013 <\/strong>The fourth edition of the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) Photography Contest 2021, jointly organised by MTCC and PCP Publications, concluded with Terengganu-born photographer Yusuf Madi clinching the grand prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yusuf, 30, won the judges over with his amazing aerial view of the lush wetland forests and tranquil landscape of natural freshwater lake at Tasik Bera (Lake Bera), Malaysia\u2019s first Ramsar site. He captured the drone shot in 2020 while snapping away for a job assignment at the lake which is situated in the Bera district, Pahang. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was filming a documentary and doing drone-mapping at Tasik Bera when I spotted the view of the lake from above. I was fascinated with what I saw and I thought to myself how beautiful our forests are. I didn\u2019t expect to win with this photograph, but it\u2019s definitely an encouragement for me and hopefully for other photographers to continue capturing the beauty of Malaysian nature and creating art through lens. For me, this contest has created an awareness especially among us, the public, on the importance of appreciating our own forests and nature,\u201d said Yusuf and added that the MTCC Photography Contest is one of the reputable photography competitions which many nature photographers look forward to enter every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yusuf\u2019s winning was announced by MTCC Chairman, Kamaruzaman Mohamad at the virtual winners\u2019 announcement and prize-giving ceremony held earlier this evening. Yusuf received RM2,000, e-magazines courtesy of PCP Publications and an e-certificate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Themed \u201cExperience Forest, Experience MTCS-PEFC\u201d, the contest was held from 21 March to 30 June and participated by 186 contestants, with 2,045 photographs and 34 short videos submitted to compete in four new categories, Natural Forest Landscapes, Wood in Our Life, Stay Safe, Stay Green and I Wander and I Wonder. The categories were created to make it more practical for contestants to harness their creativity in spite of the Movement Control Order (MCO) restrictions. Contestants were also allowed to submit photos and videos taken not more than five years prior to the launch of the contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
“Beautiful Sunrise in Semenyih Dam” – photographed by Tan Ee Long<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The first prize for the Natural Forest Landscapes category went to Tan Ee Long, a 43-year-old photographer from Muar, Johor. Titled \u201cBeautiful Sunrise at Semenyih Dam\u201d, the snapshot was taken in 2020 and features a picturesque mirror-like view of Semenyih Dam surrounded by forested hills at sunrise. Located in Hulu Langat, Selangor, the dam has been providing water supply for the state\u2019s Klang Valley population since the 1980s.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>
    “Rumah kayu Bajau Laut di Semporna” – photographed by Mohd Nazri Sulaiman<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Photographer Mohd Nazri Sulaiman, 47, from Batu Pahat, Johor, was chosen as the first prize winner in the Wood in Our Life category. Titled \u201cA Wooden House of Bajau Laut in Semporna\u201d, the photograph was taken in 2016 and shows part of a Bajau Laut\u2019s wooden house on stilts on crystal clear sea in Semporna, Sabah. The house was built from wood sourced from the surrounding areas and has been part of the lifestyle of Bajau Laut, an ethnic group which is also known as the Sea Gypsies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first prize winners received RM1,200 each.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lee Yen Phin and Leong Chee Onn won Best Videos in the I Wander and I Wonder category. Each of the winner came out with splendid clips showcasing Malaysia\u2019s forests and their bountiful diversity. On another note, 10 winners were chosen for the Stay Safe, Stay Green, a category for social media users to share images of their green fingers\u2019 projects which they have been working on during MCO.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Impactful Images <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The judging was done virtually by a team of judges comprising PCP Publications General Manager and Editor-in-Chief, Jessica Chan, renowned photographer Azul Adnan and two representatives from MTCC, Officer-in-Charge, Siti Syaliza Mustapha and Manager (Product), Sabrina Mawasi. All winners were selected based on several criteria including creativity, relevancy to the theme, originality and overall impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chan, who is the Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival (KLPF) director, said despite the restrictions to go for outdoor shots, there was no less enthusiasm from the contestants as reflected in the number of entries received. Contestants were likely to have more time during the MCO to scan through their libraries and found undiscovered gems that would catch the judges\u2019 attention, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe\u2019re also glad to know that those participating in the Stay Safe, Stay Green category have been doing something interesting during this lockdown by practising their little green fingers. As for the video category, we\u2019ve noticed a significant increase in the number of submissions this year, with several videos carrying significant meanings and are worthy of mention. We hope these winning images and videos will help to inculcate an appreciation of the natural environment, forests around us and not forgetting the wood that comes from these resources,\u201d she added.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Guest judge Azul said the judges were looking for images with impact or unique stories behind them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cJudging for this year has been fun but challenging. We were looking for something a little bit different from the past years\u2019 winners. The different factor might not necessarily be technical because we were mainly looking for the content or the story behind the image, and it\u2019s impact on the viewer,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Memorable Event   <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In his welcoming remarks, Kamaruzaman said the contest was in tandem with MTCC\u2019s vision and mission which emphasise on the importance of appreciating sustainable forest management and internalising the full value and contribution of forests at the national level towards achieving global sustainability. It was also part of MTCC\u2019s continued initiatives to educate the society on the importance of forest conservation and the roles of the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS), in line with the thrust of MTCC Strategy 2020-2025 that supports sustainable forest management efforts.      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He added that the launch date of the contest, 21 March, was a momentous one as it has marked another milestone for MTCC and the MTCS, a scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThe contest was launched on 21 March which coincided with the 9th<\/sup> International Day of Forests. It was also the day when the Malaysian Forestry Policy was launched at the national level International Day of Forests. The policy highlights the importance of forest certification and recognises the roles and functions of MTCS in sustainable forest management efforts. As the National Governing Body of the certification scheme, the recognition is definitely something that we at MTCC are proud of,\u201d he said.  Winning photographs will be exhibited at the KLPF 2021 virtually on 1-12 December and physically on 10-12 December at Viva Shopping Mall, Kuala Lumpur. The top three winning entries will also be in the running to win the PEFC Photographer of the Year Award at the PEFC Photo Contest 2021.  <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Kuala Lumpur, 27 August \u2013 The fourth edition of the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) Photography Contest 2021, jointly organised by MTCC and PCP Publications, concluded with Terengganu-born photographer Yusuf Madi clinching the grand prize. Yusuf, 30, won the judges over with his amazing aerial view of the lush wetland forests and tranquil landscape of natural […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[15],"class_list":["post-18541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-home-page"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18541"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22732,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18541\/revisions\/22732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}