With multiple awards being rescinded due to violations of competition rules, the photography community is calling for greater transparency and adherence to ethical standards.

The photo titled "Afternoon at the Construction Site," which had won an award, was retracted. Photo: Lam Dieu Trung.

In recent months, a series of controversies have erupted surrounding photography competitions in Vietnam.

On August 29, the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association hosted the 49th Traditional Artistic Photography Festival, awarding the Bronze Medal to the piece "Chieu Cong Truong" (Afternoon at the Construction Site) by Lam Dieu Trung.

However, the award was rescinded shortly afterward when it was discovered that the cloud in the photograph was not originally captured by the artist but was instead sourced from Adobe’s stock image library.

Similarly, on August 23, the photograph "Anh Sang Tuong Lai" (Light of the Future) won the Gold Medal at the Eastern South Regional Artistic Photography Festival.

A few days later, the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) revoked the award after verifying that the photo was taken outside the Eastern South region, thus breaching the festival’s regulations.

Among the winners of the Northern Central Region Artistic Photography Festival 2024, the photo "Tan Binh Len Duong Nhap Ngu" (New Soldiers Set Off to Enlist) received criticism for its artistic shortcomings despite being awarded the Silver Medal.

In June, the organizers of the Vietnam Global Photography 2024 contest unexpectedly withdrew awards from several works, including the top prize, without providing specific reasons.

The controversy has extended beyond individual competitions. In 2021, a winning photo from the 51st Hanoi Artistic Photography Competition faced criticism for being digitally manipulated, despite the photographer's attempts to clarify the situation.

Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, Ho Sy Minh, asserts that limited funding is a major barrier to the development of photography in Vietnam.

Ho Sy Minh, Vice President of the VAPA, discussed these issues with Tien Phong newspaper. He emphasized that the withdrawal of awards results from violations of competition rules by the entrants, not errors by the judging panels or organizers. He stressed the importance of honesty and personal responsibility from participants.

Minh acknowledged the challenges faced by regional competitions due to their long-standing nature, which sometimes leads to repetitive or similar themes in submitted works. He also highlighted the issue of some artists re-submitting previously awarded photos with minor modifications.

Despite these challenges, the VAPA continues to hold regional festivals, aiming to enhance the quality of these events through fair and transparent judging processes.

Minh noted that many photographers are self-taught, and the limited training opportunities contribute to ongoing issues within the field. Additionally, selecting judges is complicated by low compensation and the potential for criticism.

He suggested that to improve the quality and transparency of photography competitions, it is crucial to select a committed and impartial judging panel and to involve theoretical critics in the organizing and judging processes.

He also pointed out the significant barrier of inadequate funding, which affects the development of photography in Vietnam.

Looking forward, the VAPA plans to hold meetings to review and address the issues raised by recent controversies.

The goal is to enhance the quality of future competitions and ensure that all awards are given based on merit and integrity.

PV