During my not-so-usual busy schedule and the rush hour of this week, I found something to be really exciting in my inbox few days ago: an email from Humanity Photo Award 2011. Suddenly my mind flew to few months back when I read the annoucement of this photo contest somewhere over the web. Just to make it short, this competition all participants need to submit two photo stories. So I decided to register and give it a try. Later on, I searched for a possibilites in my harddrive. I put two series into it and it was done. I never looked back into the website even once. For sure, I really hope to achieve something. But by seeing the winners from 2009's comptition, I thought it will be hard enough for me. And the best thing to do was to forget it.
And the good news popped up inside my email. One of my photo story about The Mentawai (as published in The Jakarta Globe) people won a nomination award. While another, my story about Pacu Jawi, a bull's racing festival in West Sumatra, Indonesia, now is entering the final evaluation to compete for the grand prize award.
Although I'm totally happy, getting the nomination award in this competition is not that extraordinary by the measure of prize. I will only get an award certificate and a catalogue from all of nominated participants. But by entering the final evaluation, I will be invited to be in China next September for attending the awarding ceremony. And that's really something.
Actually, I have planned to be in China, but not sure about the timing. Last week I also met a fellow photojournalist and tried to set a plan to land somewhere in China next year. And in all of a sudden, It came closer by itself. It's like my travel addiction always find itself a way. Nothing to complain. Perfect.
HPA Nomination
So I'm starting to sort everything out again. I have to dig more about China. Where can I go after Beijing? (the awarding ceremony is seemed to be there) and for how long? and what to do or what to photographs then? Going to China for only for waiting the final result will not be enough for me. What If I will not win the grand prize? So I have to plan my self a better prize: exploring China for a while.
Here I attached two photographs from each story.
:)
That's a little update for this week.