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 competition of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) invited photographers from across Southeast Asia to capture the people, practices, and enterprises that sustain the agriculture value chain beyond production. These include postharvest handling, food processing, 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 underscored 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.
Winning entries
This year's first prize (USD 1,000) is awarded to Tran Van Tuy of Vietnam for a photo depicting fishers gathered around a basket boat filled with freshly caught fish. The winning photo captures the energy and cooperation behind the movement of aquatic harvests to the next steps in the food chain.
Second prize (USD 800) goes to Emman Foronda of the Philippines for a striking composition showing freshly caught fish being sundried on bamboo racks. The photo highlights postharvest care and traditional preservation methods that extend the shelf life of agricultural and fishery products for consumption and trade.
The third prize (USD 500) is awarded to Wilfredo Lomibao of the Philippines for an evocative photo 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, precision, and skill required to transform raw harvests into value-added products.
The SEARCA Center Director's Choice (USD 500) is given 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 photo reflects the human connections, local knowledge, and household-level work that comprise agriculture's larger value chain.
Judging and Selection
The entries were evaluated based on relevance to the theme, technical quality, and impact. The judging 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.
The SEARCA Photo Contest is held annually to raise awareness of key issues and emerging developments in agriculture and rural development across Southeast Asia. Over the years, the competition has curated powerful images that document food production, livelihoods, communities, technologies, and the changing realities in the region's agriculture sector.
By highlighting the people and processes "beyond the harvest," the 19th SEARCA Photo Contest reinforces the importance of every actor in the agriculture value chain in ensuring that food continues its journey—safely, sustainably, and nutritiously—from farms to tables.