MOFA honors winners of Taiwan video clip competitions

2016/01/07

The winners of two video clip competitions organized by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs were honored at a ceremony Jan. 5 in Taipei City, underscoring the government’s commitment to raising the profile of Taiwan abroad.

During the event, MOFA Vice Minister Vanessa Shih praised the winning submissions for their ingenuity in capturing some of the most alluring aspects of Taiwan’s culture, environment and heritage for presentation via social media platforms.

“These are the first initiatives by the ministry and it is pleasing to see such a strong response from Taiwan’s most creative minds,” Shih said. “We will continue engaging all members of society to showcase Taiwan’s soft power.”

In the Trending Taiwan competition, top prize and NT$200,000 (US$6,011) went to a Yacool Studio clip showcasing Taiwan’s distinctive lifestyles and world-renowned warmth through interactions between shoppers and vendors at traditional markets.

A submission on the annual Mazu pilgrimage took second prize and NT$50,000, entries introducing Taiwanese glove puppetry and natural beauty both won third and NT$10,000, while 12 other submissions each received honorable mentions and NT$5,000.

In the other contest, first place went to “To know about Taiwan (roughly) in 2.5 Mins.” In the clip, 108 locals and foreign visitors sing observations about the country to a nostalgic Taiwan tune while performing a traditional exercise routine.

The piece by team Find Taiwan will fly the flag for the nation in the Cyber category of the Young Lions Competitions June 18-21 in Cannes, France, with the MOFA providing sponsorship of NT$250,000 to enable its creators to attend the event.

Shih also took the opportunity to launch a new video clip competition Show Taiwan in One Second. Organized by the MOFA’s Department of International Information Services, the contest runs until Feb. 29 and offers cash prizes totaling NT$200,000.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=240941&ctNode=2194&mp=9)