Exec wins $1,000 with shot of kids at play

Exec wins $1,000 with shot of kids at play

SINGAPORE - Mr Ahmad Iskandar Abdullah could have very easily missed the snapshot that just netted him $1,000 cash.

He had met the three energetic boys who were having a ball of a time in the water play area at Marina Barrage in February.

One, who gave his name as Mamat, was kicking a football while his cousins, who were too shy to give their names, looked on.

Just minutes after he snapped the photograph, the boys stopped their game.

"I managed to get only one shot of them - they didn't dare to play afterwards," said the senior technical executive at an architectural firm. "But it turned out really good."

That photo has made Mr Iskandar the fourth weekly winner in the ongoing Wherever You Are contest, which showcases The Straits Times' mission to deliver content across multiple platforms to readers, wherever they may be.

The contest, which calls on readers to send in photos or videos of themselves enjoying life, has drawn more than 2,500 entries so far. Readers stand to win cash prizes amounting to more than $30,000.

The top winner will embark on a trip for two to London to catch the Chelsea versus Manchester City match on Oct 27. He will also get a five-day hotel stay courtesy of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels and at least $3,000 in cash.

Mr Iskandar, who is married and has an eight-year-old daughter, is no stranger to the contest. He has sent in several other shots, two of which made last week's top 20 shortlist.

"I join contests like Wherever You Are because I want to get opinions about my photos," he said.

And his photo did make a splash with this week's judge, ST senior transport correspondent Christopher Tan, 54.

"I love the spontaneity, exuberance and complete lack of self-consciousness captured in this shot," he said.

Other readers such as civil servant Lin Wei Jie, 40, have been putting in effort for the contest as well.

Mr Lin sent in a video nearly two minutes long of himself reciting a self-penned poem expressing his love for Singapore - all while doing 26 pull-ups.

The first letter of each line spells out the alphabet in order. "I took two takes to get it right but I had to film it over two weekends because it was impossible to do 52 pull-ups in one shot," he quipped.

Another stunning shot was submitted by Mr Sean Ng, a 35-year-old assistant vice-president of mortgage sales at a bank.

He shot a picture of his 28-year-old wife Cassie in front of the Louvre museum in Paris during their honeymoon last December.

"I love the contrast between the modern pyramid and the historical buildings behind, and between the white glow of the umbrella and the dark skies," said Mr Ng.

yunitaso@sph.com.sg


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