The vital yet often unseen work that brings food from farms and waters to tables took center stage in the winning entries of the 19th SEARCA Photo Contest, themed "Beyond the Harvest: People and Processes in the Agriculture Value Chain."
Launched in September 2025, the annual photo competition invited Southeast Asian photographers to capture the people, practices, and enterprises that sustain the agriculture value chain beyond production, from postharvest handling, food processing, and transport to markets, trade, entrepreneurship, and consumer connections.
The contest sought images that reveal the "hidden heartbeat" of agriculture: the activities that move, transform, preserve, and connect food with communities. The theme emphasized that agriculture does not end at harvest but continues through the hands of workers, traders, processors, entrepreneurs, families, and consumers who help ensure that food remains safe, fresh, and nourishing.
This year's first prize is awarded to Tran Van Tuy of Vietnam for a photograph depicting fishers gathered around a basket boat filled with freshly caught fish. The winning photograph captures the energy and cooperation behind the movement of produce from aquatic livelihoods to the next steps in the food chain.
Emman Foronda of the Philippines wins second prize (USD 800) for a striking composition featuring freshly caught fish being sundried on bamboo racks. The image highlights postharvest care and the traditional processes that help preserve agricultural and fishery products for consumption and trade.
The third prize goes to Wilfredo Lomibao of the Philippines for a photograph of a worker amid billowing steam in one of the largest salt refineries in Pangasinan, Philippines, as he harvests high-quality salt. The image conveys the labor and skill required to transform raw harvests into value-added products.
The SEARCA Center Director's Choice is awarded to Si Thu Ye Myint of Myanmar for a warm scene of women gathered in a traditional kitchen, working together for their village's sustenance. The photograph reflects the human connections, local knowledge, and household-level work that comprise agriculture's larger value chain.
The entries were judged based on relevance to the theme, technical quality, and impact. The evaluation process included initial screening by the photo contest secretariat, shortlisting by selected SEARCA staff and scholars, and final judging by external experts who selected the top three winners. The SEARCA Center Director also selected one special award from among the finalists.
Cash prizes for the 2025 competition are USD 1,000 for first prize, USD 800 for second prize, and USD 500 each for third prize and the Center Director's Choice award.
The SEARCA Photo Contest is held annually to raise awareness of issues and developments in agriculture and rural development across Southeast Asia. Through the years, the competition has curated images that document food production, livelihoods, communities, technologies, and changing realities in the region's agriculture sector.