Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Joan Pabona, who works as a domestic helper Hong Kong, won second place (first runner-up) in the National Geographic Wheelock Youth Photo Competition 2017 “People & Happenings in Hong Kong” category. Her entry was a black-and-white photo of a worker in a helmet fixing safety nets in a construction site, which she titled “Sacrifice”.
Joan Pabona won HKD6,500 for this winning photo, which is featured in the February issue of National Geographic Chinese edition [photo from Pabona’s Facebook account]
Pabona, in an interview, said she has been interested in photography since her college years in Ilocos Sur. She has since invested in a camera and took photography classes to hone her skills. Taking photographs of the sights and scenes in Hong Kong is now her favorite pastime during her day-offs. She has won in other photo competition and do charity works with fellow photographers in Hong Kong, where she has been working since 2013.
The winners of National Geographic Wheelock Youth Photo Competition 2017 was officially announced at the award ceremony held at Wheelock Gallery in Admiralty on January 31. The competition was divided into four categories: “Places in Hong Kong”, “People & Happenings in Hong Kong”, “Future of Hong Kong”, and “Mobile Photography”.
Pabona and the other winners bested 3,518 other entries of photographers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Macau [photo from the website of Wheelock Properties, one of the sponsors of the competition]
