A Filipino student won first place in this year’s multimedia competition organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Korean government, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

Jophel Ybiosa of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines won the first place in the photography category of the ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition, the DFA, quoting the report from the Philippine embassy in Korea, said.

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Luis T. Cruz said Ybiosa’s winning entry titled “Giants” featured the Higantes Festival of Angono, Rizal. It bested over 350 university and graduate students from ASEAN and Korean educational institutions.

During the awarding ceremony held in Seoul on September 23, Cruz praised Ybiosa’s creativity and excellence in photography as he further encouraged him to continue with his involvement in various ASEAN awareness programs.

Another Filipino student from the University of the Philippines (UP), MM Yu was also awarded the honor of “Special Guest Artist” in recognition of her outstanding entries, the DFA said.

The contest, which carries the theme “Cultural Diversity and Harmony,” was divided into two categories, namely: video/multimedia and photography. Over over 350 ASEAN and Korean university and graduate students joined the contest. Winning entries and other selected works will be displayed at the Seoul Art Space from September 23 to October 10.

The ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition was organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center, in cooperation with the 10 ASEAN embassies in Seoul.

ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting economic and sociocultural cooperation between ASEAN and Korea.