More Winning Travel Images & Stories Now on SoutheastAsia.org

BANGKOK, 10 June 2010 – The May winners for the Southeast Asia Awards content contest are now online at www.SoutheastAsia.org.

The winning entries represent some of the best travel photography and writing on Southeast Asia, as voted by visitors to the interactive site and by a panel of editors.

In the photography category, “The White Sand Dunes” by Chookia won the Editor’s Choice. It shows a Vietnamese peasant vendor in a bamboo conical hat walking along the ridge of a sand dune at Bao Trang at Mui Ne, north of Phan Thiet.

In the People’s Choice category “Singapore River” by Kophyoe Letranger came first for an image showing the dramatic contrast between the three giant towers of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort with a more traditional icon, a slow-moving ferryboat in the foreground.

In the Editor’s Choice travel writing category, “Biking in Bangkok” by LenR describes the stark contrasts and surprising beauty of cycling along narrow canal side walkways in a quiet corner of the Thai capital. “Over the next few hours we bike along the vast network of narrow elevated pathways over the klongs and discover ‘old’ Bangkok. These pathways put the crowded roadways of the city far behind us…”

“No, Thank You Laos” by Todd Wassel won the People’s Choice Award for its recounting of a heroic deed in Luang Prabang in Laos that goes strangely unrewarded – or does it? As the author reflects, “They taught me, or rather reminded me, that you do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Good is its own reward.”

All the photographers and writers who won in May will each receive US$750. The People’s Choice Awards are voted on by visitors to www.SoutheastAsia.org. Editor’s Choice Awards are chosen by a panel of judges that includes content managers of the website, which is the official B2C portal of the ASEAN Tourism Association.

Four more winners will be announced in June. All monthly Editor’s and People’s Choice winners plus the runners-up in the People’s Choice qualify for entry in to the Grand Prize Awards in July.

The Editor’s Choice Grand Prize winners in each category will receive US$1,750. The winner of the People’s Choice vote in each category will receive US$1,250.

Hundreds of scintillating photographs from the Southeast Asia Awards can be viewed here. Dozens of evocative feature stories entered in the Awards are available here.

A high resolution image of “The White Sand Dunes” can be downloaded here: http://www.southeastasia.org/images/contestphotos/_DSC4007.jpg

A high resolution image of “Singapore River” is available here:

http://www.southeastasia.org/images/contestphotos/_.jpg

Travel writers and photographers can find out more about the awards at http://www.SoutheastAsia.org/index.php/seaawards/about/

Frequently asked questions are available here: http://www.SoutheastAsia.org/index.php/seaawards/faq/

For editors: Images of campaign logos and Southeast Asian destinations can be downloaded here.

About the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA)
The ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) was formed on 27th March 1971. ASEANTA is a non-profit tourism association comprising both public and private tourism sector organizations from ASEAN. ASEANTA has grown to become a tourism association of influence within the ASEAN tourism landscape, playing an integral role in shaping tourism development growth and policies in the ASEAN region. Further information and ASEANTA mission statement.

About ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE)
SoutheastAsia.org and the Southeast Asia: feel the warmth campaign are an initiative of the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA), a not-for-profit organization, whose membership comprises both public- and private-sector tourism stakeholders from throughout Southeast Asia. The campaign was created and developed by USAID’s ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) Project in close collaboration with ASEANTA. Managed by Nathan Associates under contract, the ACE Project was developed and is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission Asia (RDMA) to help ASEAN’s travel & tourism industry realize the benefits of greater regional integration. www.ace-advance.com.

Further information
Ikhwan Al-Rashid Abdul Rahman
ASEANTA Marketing Director
Tel: (60) 32692 6850
Fax: (60) 32694 2179
Email: ikhwan@aseanta.org / ikhwanalrashid@yahoo.com

Press queries
Ken Scott
ScottAsia Communications
Tel: (66) 81 931 2753
E-mail: ken@scottasia.net