Korea JoongAng Daily Photo Essay Contest: Read the winners' vibrant words

Winners of the Global Photo Essay Contest, hosted by Korea JoongAng Daily, showcased vibrant snapshots of Korean culture and heritage, including historic sites.

Choi Ji-young, executive editor of the Korea JoongAng Daily, second row, far left, and winners of the Korea JoongAng Daily's second Global Photo Essay Contest pose for a photo while holding their awards at the JoongAng Ilbo building in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Saturday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Award winners from across the country — including those who'd traveled from Gangwon and Busan — who vividly captured and shared the essence of Korean culture and heritage celebrated their achievements during the Global Photo Essay Contest awards ceremony that the Korea JoongAng Daily hosted Saturday.

The contest's second iteration invited participants, including international students, to submit a one-page story and a photograph on one of two topics: the historical significance of Korean beauty and culture as experienced during a visit to a cultural heritage site or a photo essay capturing the global spread of Korean culture, such as K-pop and K-food.

On Saturday, 13 students were each recognized in the lower elementary, upper elementary and middle school categories, with one grand prize and one gold prize awarded in each. One grand prize was awarded in a new global category. Lower elementary school students ranged from first to third grade, while upper elementary students were in fourth to sixth grade.

“I am happy to win the prize and also proud to write about the beauty of old architecture like Suwon’s Hwahongmun,” said Yoo Ha-eun, a third grade student at Hanul Elementary School in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, who won the grand prize in the lower elementary school category.

She shared her excitement after the ceremony held at the JoongAng Ilbo building in Mapo District, western Seoul.

In her essay, Yoo recounted her experience walking near Hwahongmun, the northern gate of Suwon's Hwaseong fortress, and how the rich historical significance of the architecture made her feel as if she had stepped back into the Joseon period just by gazing at it.

In the upper elementary school category, the grand prize was awarded to Choi Je-yoon, from Bunpo Elementary School in Busan, who photographed the rocks beneath Gwangtonggyo, a bridge at Cheonggyecheon, a stream that flows through central Seoul.

Choi shared the historical significance and the story behind the rocks, which were taken from the tomb of Queen Sindeok, the wife of Joseon’s first king, Taejo Lee Seong-gye.

“I hope contests like this can help more people discover and appreciate Korea's culture and heritage,” she said.

The grand prize in the middle school category went to Kim Yun-seong from Korea International School Jeju Campus, who introduced one of King Jinhung’s Sunsu Monuments, accompanied by a photograph taken at the National Museum of Korea.

Kim noted that although the monument might appear to be just a simple stone with old writing and curvy letters, it teaches us about the “dreams that shaped Korean identity over the last centuries.”

Francis Nacionales, from the Philippines, won the grand prize for the global category, a new addition to this year’s contest.

Nacionales, a graduate student at Sungkyunkwan University who has been in Korea for two years, shared how the Seoul City Wall, also known as Hanyangdoseong, became a sanctuary for him during his most challenging times in Korea.

A group prize, awarded to the organization with the most participation, was given to the DYB Choisun Language Institute.

The Global Photo Essay Contest, hosted by the Korea JoongAng Daily, invited students to submit photo essays in English from June 17 to July 28. This year’s contest was also sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Air.

Entries were judged on multiple criteria, including originality and English writing skills.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]