Photo "photoshopped cloud" has been revoked

On the morning of September 6, Mr. Doan Hoai Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association, announced the decision to cancel and revoke the bronze medal for the work Afternoon at the construction site of author Lam Dieu Trung, from Tra Vinh, for breaking the rules.

According to the representative of the organizing unit, after the award was announced on August 29, many photographers pointed out that the photo had been photoshopped with clouds from the cloud image library. After reviewing, the organizing committee concluded that the photo had been photoshopped. After being discovered, on September 1, the author submitted a request to withdraw and return the award.

According to the rules, the contest accepts all forms of technical processing of photography and post-production. However, the data assembled in the photos must be taken by the author himself.

According to the Tra Vinh Provincial Youth Union website, author Lam Dieu Trung, 32 years old, has won several photography competitions. In 2016, he won third prize in the Tra Vinh Province Traditional Art Photography Competition. In 2017, his work entered the exhibition round at the National Youth Photography Festival organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 2018, he won second prize at the provincial level and first prize (gold medal) in the Mekong Delta with the work "Nutrition of clean seed sources".

The 49th Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Art Photography Festival, in celebration of the 79th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2024), was initiated by the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association. According to the organizers, the event is an opportunity to pay tribute to those who laid the foundations of photography in the city and the southern region, and to rekindle the passion for black and white photography - which has gradually been forgotten.

The contest is open to both professional and amateur photographers in the country, gathering nearly 3,000 works by 232 authors in 40 provinces and cities. The photos include many genres such as portraits, landscapes, daily life, still life, nature, and ideas. The organizers encourage photos with new perspectives, creativity, and humanity, and are taken within the country.

The three thematic groups selected for awards include: Freedom, Monochrome, Minimalism. In the freestyle photo group, the jury selected 11 works for awards. The award system includes 1 gold medal, 2 silver medals, 3 bronze medals and 5 consolation prizes. Of which, the bronze medal is awarded a certificate, along with cash worth 5 million VND each.