Vietnamese Photographer Takes Home Grand Prize at International Photo Contest

A photo by Vietnamese photographer, Pham Ty, has beaten out 26,500 other submissions to take the top spot at the recently concluded Smithsonian Photo Contest.

Saigon-based Ty took home a $2,500 prize for his photo of two women sowing a fishing net in a small village near Vinh Hy Bay in Ninh Thuan Province. 

In its 12th year, the contest received submissions from 93 different countries across six categories - natural world, travel, people, Americana, altered images and mobile.

In the final round, which concluded on March 31, Ty was joined by 4 other Vietnamese photographers who took beautiful shots of children playing in a river; a woman collecting water lilies; a fisherman with his nets and cable cars outside of Da Nang:

Finalist: Travel | Photograph by Hoang Long Ly – A fisherman checks his net in the early morning. At night, the fishermen of Tuyen Lam Lake lower nets into the water and turn on lights above them to lure fish. (Lam Dong, Dalat, March 2014. Nikon D700).

Finalist: Travel | Photograph by Nhiem Hoang. A woman collects water lilies. "During the floating season in the Mekong Delta, wild water lilies grow everywhere in rice fields covered by water. They become a traditional food for people living in this region and are processed into special dishes such as salad and sour soup with fish," says Nhiem Hoang. (Chau Doc, Mekong Delta, Vietnam, October 2014, SONY ILCE-7R).

Finalist: People | Photograph by Viet Phuong Tran. Two boys jump into a river near Nghiem Xuyen village, Vietnam, in the late afternoon. (Hanoi, Vietnam, August 2014, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II).

Finalist: Altered Images | Photograph by Trang Nguyen. Mist blankets Ba Na Hill Station in Da Nang, Vietnam. The Ba Na Cable Car holds the world record for longest and highest non-stop single-track cable car. (Da Nang, Vietnam, April 2014, Canon EOS 6D).

The submission period for the 2015 photo contest is already underway so head over to the registration page if you’d like to submit a photo of your own.