Chiang Rai, Thailand – 4–7 November 2025
As part of the 56th Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference, the APACPH Early Career Network (ECN) Photo Competition 2025 provided a unique platform for early career public health practitioners from APACPH member institutions to share powerful visual stories reflecting the conference theme, “Public Health Challenges in a Disruptive World.”
Empowering Early Career Perspectives
Open exclusively to early career professionals, students, trainees, and junior faculty, the competition aimed to amplify emerging voices in the region by capturing lived experiences, community realities, and frontline challenges. The initiative not only nurtured creativity and advocacy among young professionals but also showcased their critical role in reimagining public health for a resilient future.
Award-Winning Entries That Inspire
The winning photographs, selected for their visual impact, storytelling strength, and public health relevance, offer compelling snapshots into the lives of those most affected by health disruptions:
1st Prize: “But Mama, I Am Hungry”
A striking image of a child affected by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security. It sheds light on rising urban poverty and nutritional inequality, calling for sustained efforts to safeguard children’s health in post-crisis recovery.
2nd Prize: “A Gift of Survival in a Fragile World”
His photo depicts an elderly homeless man receiving a meal, illustrating the intersection of dignity and health amid social neglect. It highlights issues of ageing, compassion, and the often invisible public health burden carried by marginalised populations.
3rd Prize: “Order in Care—Guiding a Patient to Timely Medication”
Depicting a young nurse helping a patient organise medication, the image exemplifies community-centred care and the value of direct, empathetic communication in managing chronic conditions, especially among older adults.
Visual Advocacy in Public Health
This competition reaffirms photography’s power in public health as a tool for advocacy, education, and engagement. Each submission served as a visual testimony to the real-world challenges faced across the Asia-Pacific—reminding us that data must be humanised and that early career professionals are crucial in driving compassionate and contextually grounded solutions.
Acknowledgement and Future Opportunities
The APACPH ECN sincerely thanks all participants, judges, and organisers who contributed to the success of the 2025 competition. Your work not only enriches our understanding of public health realities but also strengthens the community of future leaders committed to health equity and resilience.
Through the lens of emerging practitioners, we see not just the challenges but the vision, empathy, and resolve needed to transform public health across our region.
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