In the 3rd Korean Daily Amateur Photography Contest, Younghee (Clara) Kim (Virginia) won the Grand Prize for her captivating photo of a snowy landscape in Hokkaido, titled For You, For the Longing. The Best Award went to Moonki Lee (Illinois) for his delightful capture titled Sorry, Brother, featuring two adorable brothers.

This year’s contest, specially sponsored by Trust One Sales, was held from mid-June to the end of August. It aimed to encourage cultural activities among amateur Korean photographers, allowing them to share happy moments from their daily lives and travels. A total of 205 participants from across the U.S., including Southern California, submitted 532 works, showing tremendous interest and enthusiasm.

The judging panel, composed of professional photographers actively working in the Korean community—Benedict Yang, Jay Lee, and Sanghyuk Park (photo editor at Korean Daily)—conducted an impartial review, blind to the contestants’ identities. Based on objective criteria, they selected 1 Grand Prize winner, 1 Best Award winner, 5 Excellence Award winners, and 20 Honorable Mentions.

The awards ceremony for the 3rd Korean Daily Amateur Photography Contest will take place on Thursday, October 3rd, at 2 PM (Pacific Time). The winners will receive certificates and prizes, including $1,000 for the Grand Prize winner. The winning entries are as follows:

■ Grand Prize (1 person)
Younghee (Clara) Kim, Reston, VA – For You, For the Longing

■ Best Award (1 person)
Moonki Lee, Buffalo Grove, IL – Sorry, Brother

■ Excellence Award (5 people, in alphabetical order)
▲ Jonathan Kim, Walkersville, MD – The Cathedral in the Savannah Rain
▲ Hyunjin Kim, Los Angeles, CA – Song of the Wind, Death Valley
▲ Susanna Soh, Centerville, VA – Strangers
▲ Kyoungyul Lee, Tucker, GA – Bellflower and Hummingbird
▲ Grace Lee, Lake Forest, CA – Temple of Knowledge

■ Honorable Mention (20 people, in alphabetical order)
▲ Jane Kang, Laguna Woods, CA
▲ Sarah Kyong, Little Neck, NY
▲ Grace Kyungok Kim, Chino Hills, CA
▲ Yeondong Kim, Los Angeles, CA
▲ Eunkyung Park, Boston, MA
▲ Jinseo Park, Duluth, GA
▲ Judie Byun, Los Angeles, CA
▲ Sue Yeon Oh, Los Angeles, CA
▲ Jung S. Woo, La Palma, CA
▲ Sebastial Yoon, Annandale, VA
▲ Daniel Lee, Irvine, CA
▲ Eunyoung Lee, Glendale, CA
▲ Steve Chun, Lake Elsinore, CA
▲ Changwoo Jung, Los Angeles, CA
▲ Kay Chung, North Potomac, MD
▲ Nami Cho, Los Angeles, CA
▲ Youngmi Jin, Littleneck, NY
▲ Jin Choe, Newman, GA
▲ Haisung Choi, Cypress, CA
▲ Mary Han, Seal Beach, CA

■ Judges' Comments

Beautiful poetic sensibility, skillful captures

Genres and variety expanded; overall quality improved

The 3rd Korean Daily Photography Contest saw participation from 205 contestants with a total of 532 submitted works. Compared to previous years, there was a wider range of free and diverse styles, with many photographs showing a noticeable improvement in quality.

There were more varied subjects this year, including candid snapshots from daily life, nature, landscapes, sports, night scenes, snow scenes, sunsets, macro photography, animals, travel, and human interest, all contributing to a richer pool of entries.

Given the abundance of excellent photos, the judging criteria were raised, prioritizing fundamental elements like focus, appropriate exposure, and composition. The judges also considered how well each photograph conveyed its theme, its background, the balance of elements, and the use of expression. Given the current trend of AI-generated photos, entries that were overly edited were excluded. The judging panel shortlisted 100 photos in the first round, then narrowed them down to 40, and finally selected 27 winners, including 1 Grand Prize, 1 Best Award, 5 Excellence Awards, and 20 Honorable Mentions.

The Grand Prize-winning photo by Younghee Kim captured a snowy night scene, using flash lighting to create an effect where snowflakes seem to hang on the tree like droplets. It evokes the feeling of a scene from the drama Winter Sonata and stirs nostalgic memories of snowy winter nights. The photograph's composition is enhanced by the person walking towards car headlights in the bottom right corner, which made the judges unanimously choose it as the Grand Prize winner.

The Best Award photo by Moonki Lee showcased the moment when two grandsons played golf, capturing the tears of the younger one after a small argument. This heartwarming photo shows how even trivial quarrels between children can become a great photo, reminding us of the warmth and love that still exist in our hearts. The judges also unanimously chose this entry for the Best Award.

Among the five Excellence Award-winning photos, Hyunjin Kim’s Death Valley Sand Dunes stands out for its excellent capture of the fine details in the sand after a sandstorm, highlighting the golden hues of the golden hour. Another notable work, Grace Lee’s photo of the Boston Public Library, skillfully captures the harmony of arched windows and ceilings with the green table lamps, creating a composition that keeps the viewer’s attention within the frame.

While not all the winning entries can be mentioned here, the rest of the Excellence and Honorable Mention photos demonstrated the photographers’ skillful use of waiting, timing, and capturing the right moments. The judges were delighted by the high quality of the submissions.

We once again congratulate the winners and encourage active participation from photo enthusiasts and photography clubs in next year’s contest.