PUTRAJAYA, Dec 2 (Bernama) — Judges of the Maybank Foundation – Perdana Leadership Foundation ‘Empowering Youth for a Better ASEAN’ Writing and Photo Contest 2020 are in for a tough time as the contest, themed “Climate Action”, attracted over 7,000 written and photographic submissions from young Malaysians as of its closing date of 30 November 2020.
Open to all Malaysians between the age of 13 and 23, the contest invited works of short fiction, essays, as well as photographs. Written entries range from dystopian sci-fi to serious reflections on environmental issues, while Instagram entries with the theme “Save the Environment” depict images that ranged from lush landscapes in need of protection to endangered wildlife. This year’s contest judges include fiction authors Tunku Halim, Hanna Alkaf, Arman Jazee, and Tina Isaacs, non-fiction authors Khairul Abdullah, Lydia Teh, Alexandra Wong, and Johan Irwan, professional photographers Che Ahmad Azhar, Trisha Toh, and Mahen Bala, academics Dr Salinah Ja’afar and Dr Hasmidar, teacher Cikgu Hailmi, as well as TV talk show host Terrence Dass. With the many creative entries submitted by our young leaders, they now face the daunting task of determining the contest winners!