Unforgettable moments in the “Australia through your eyes” competition
Grand prize winners for the “Australia through your eyes” video and photo competition, organised by the Australian Embassy Hanoi and VnExpress, were announced on 20 May 2011. Winners were selected from among more than 116 entries posted on VnExpress by the judging panel, comprised of Australian Ambassador Mr Allaster Cox, VnExpress Editor-in-Chief Mr Thang Duc Thang and MC Diem Quynh. The competition was supported by Tourism Australia, the Australian Trade Commission, Australia Network and the Australian Embassy in Hanoi.
Judges awarded the grand prize for video entries to “Letter to my mother”, a joint entry by Trung Kien, Trung Nghia and Hung Anh. The entry impressed judges and readers with its engaging and creative story-telling of a young adult’s Australian experience for his mother living in Vietnam. The winning entry will receive a return trip to Australia sponsored by Tourism Australia.
On be awarded the prize Nghia said, “We are honoured to be recognised because the competition attracted many quality entries and the attention of readers, especially Vietnamese students studying in Australia. The first person I thought after receiving the prize was my mother, who has sacrificed much to give us the opportunities we now have.”
The grand prize for photo entries was awarded to Le Quang Phuc for his photo essay titled “Working class Australian helps Vietnamese students”. The judging panel applauded the entry for its empathetic portrayal of the warm welcome given by a Australian citizen to many Vietnamese students newly arrived in Australia. Phuc will receive an iPad 2 for his entry, sponsored by the Australian Trade Commission.
Competition entries featuring urban and rural life in Australia grabbed the attention of VnExpress readers, attracting more than 2,300 reader comments. Judges and readers were impressed by the quality of the entries as well as the obvious warmth felt by entrants towards their Australian experiences, whether studying, working or travelling.
Australian Ambassador to Vietnam H.E. Mr Allaster Cox said: “We were impressed by the quality and obvious effort which had gone into the entries. They reflect the warm and diverse people-to-people links between Australia and Vietnam. I was particularly pleased to many entries featuring student life, representing the almost 25,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia.”
Speaking about the competition, MC Diem Quynh said, “It’s not hard to gain a favourable impression regarding Australia’s natural beauty, or even hard to be surprised by new or “bizarre” perspectives on travelling to Australia for the first time. The overwhelming impression from this competition, however, is of obvious heartfelt warmth by many contributors for their ‘second homeland’ in Australia.”
For more information, please contact Ms Dinh Thi Viet Anh, Public Affairs Manager, Phone: 04 3774 0232, Mobile: 0903 423 440, Email: [email protected].
Video winners
Week 1: Tự hào ngày tốt nghiệp
Week 2: Australia, một thế giới thu nhỏ
Week 3: Sydney - đất lành chim đậu
Week 4: Thư gửi mẹ (grand prize winner)
Photo winners:
Week 1: Đồng quê bát ngát ở Australia
Week 2: Mùa thu Đức trong lòng Australia
Week 3: Bác công nhân Australia hết lòng vì du học sinh Việt Nam (grand prize winner)
Week 4: Tất cả ở ngoài trời