Young photographers' mark on the national playground

1. The Youth Photography Festival is an event chaired and organized by the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) every two years. In 2025, from more than 2,000 entries, the Organizing Committee selected 17 best entries to award prizes, including 2 gold medals, 3 silver medals, 5 bronze medals and 7 consolation prizes.

In which, author Phan Minh Tho (33 years old, in Tuy Phuoc Dong commune) excellently won the gold medal in the conceptual photography category with the photo series Behind the Score and the encouragement prize in the realistic photography category with the photo series Street Art Sports.

Author Phan Minh Tho with the photo collection awarded the Gold Medal at the 2025 Youth Photography Festival. **Photo: NVCC**

Photographer Minh Tho said that because his family has a tradition of working in service photography, he was exposed to cameras at an early age. Since 2015, he started taking artistic photos with the theme of everyday moments in coastal areas.

Gradually, in addition to realistic photography, Minh Tho was also attracted to conceptual photography. “This genre is difficult in that, in addition to technique, the decisive factor is creative thinking. It is also quite selective of players because it requires patience and investment to create a photo series that has both a story and artistic value,” he acknowledged.

Street Art Sports photo series by photographer Phan Minh Tho. **Photo: NVCC**

Regarding the photo series Behind the Score, he said that from the idea, execution to completion it took about 2 months. “Technically, it is not too complicated, but in terms of content, I had to think a lot because this year the Organizing Committee of the Young Photography Festival stipulated that the photo series only have 5 photos. The first time I finished shooting, it took me 1 week to post-process but I was still not satisfied, so I had to ask the model to take another photo to express the right intention,” Minh Tho said.

Thanks to that, the photo series has generalized and warned about a quite common phenomenon in today's society: Because of the disease of achievement, parents are willing to program and impose everything on their children just to have 10-point photos to show off on social networks. Unconsciously chasing after scores, children only feel burdened and forget the true meaning of studying.

The work Echo of the Great Forest is one of four works by Huynh Ba Tinh selected to be exhibited at the 2025 Youth Photography Festival.

“For me, photography is not just about superficial beauty, but also a means of reflecting life, provoking thoughts and inspiring. A photo can open up a new perspective, even touching on profound social issues. Photographers, especially the younger generation, have the responsibility to bring the breath of the times into their works, give voice to humanistic values and spread positive energy. Photos are not just for viewing but also to remind, encourage and connect with each other…”, Minh Tho shared.

From his responsible thoughts when holding the camera, Minh Tho has won many other awards such as: PSA Gold Medal (American Photographic Society) in 2019; first prize in the Binh Dinh Agriculture - Farmers - Rural Photo Contest in 2023; second prize and encouragement prize in the New Land Culture Photo Contest 2024; second prize in the Binh Dinh Art Photo Contest 2025...

2.

At the 2025 Young Photography Festival, Gia Lai also has 6 authors whose works are selected for exhibition, in particular, Mr. Huynh Ba Tinh (35 years old, Professional Department of Pleiku Museum) is the photographer with the most works displayed. These are: Echo of the Great Forest, Joyful Togetherness, Fierce Race Track, and The Xoang Circle Connecting Military and Civilian Love.

After graduating from the Faculty of History - Quy Nhon University and working at Pleiku Museum, he never thought that he would turn his passion to photography. However, when he was assigned a camera to take photos of the unit's major activities and events for documentation and exhibition purposes, he was drawn in without realizing it.

Through his field trips, the beauty of the majestic nature, culture and people in the villages gave him deep inspiration to take photos. To satisfy his passion, he bought another camera, hoping to capture all the "golden moments".

Not a professional photographer, but through his own efforts and thanks to the sincere comments of photographers in the mountain town, about the subject, composition, and light, the name Huynh Ba Tinh was initially recognized through works that affirmed his mark in the subject area of the Central Highlands, festivals, and daily life.

In 2022, the work "Together to Preserve Heritage" by author Ba Tinh won third prize at the Photo Contest "Beauty of Women in the Culture - Sports and Tourism Sector" organized by the Trade Union of the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism. At the Gia Lai Province Art Photography Exhibition in 2024, he had 4 works selected for display.

Participating in the 2023 Young Photography Festival for the first time, Ba Tinh did not have any photos in the exhibition. Therefore, the fact that 4 works were "green eyed" by the Organizing Committee to be introduced to the public at the 2025 Young Photography Festival exhibition was an encouraging step forward. Tinh said he was happy that his works were well received, many of which contributed to promoting tourism in his home province. For example, the work Chung vui, which captured the scene of a foreign tourist laughing heartily while taking souvenir photos with ethnic minority artisans, showed openness, welcome and the spirit of integration.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/dau-an-nhiep-anh-tre-o-san-choi-quoc-gia-post566114.html