Filipino talent dominates major categories at the HUAWEI XMAGE Awards 2023

© Domcar Calinawan Lagto | Filmmaker, Author Dragon Clouds | HUAWEI P30 Pro | Grand Prize Winner

Pinoy Filmmaker bags top prize

The HUAWEI XMAGE Awards showcase how the XMAGE brand has inspired users’ creativity with smartphone photography through amazing photos and videos captured with Huawei devices around the world.

This year’s winners were selected from more than 600,000 entries from nearly 100 countries. After China, the five countries with the highest number of entries were Malaysia, Türkiye, Poland, Philippines, and the UAE.

And for the first time, a Filipino filmmaker won this long-standing competition with his stunning photo of a lightning coming from the clouds using the HUAWEI P30 Pro.

The winning photo, “Dragon Clouds” by Domcar Calinawan Lagto, was taken in the evening of January 12, 2020, where a lightning coming from ash clouds formed by the phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano was seen from Nasugbu, Batangas. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, by six p.m. that day, eruptive activity generated steam-laden plumes up to nine miles tall, causing extreme weather events.

The judges commented favorably on Lagto’s winning image, praising how well the timing of the photograph worked. “Nature is an excellent artist. Extreme weather turns into a violent dragon in the photographer’s lens. The photographer took full advantage of the long exposure feature of his phone to capture this stunning moment.” Li Changzhu stated.

“Unique and unrepeatable moments make the most memorable photos. This image has all the hallmark signs of a world class capture, with stunning exquisite light, grabbing the viewers attention and allowing the eyes to travel through the different elements of the scene. A classical example of being in the right place at the right time, following careful planning and creating a masterpiece.” José Ramos added.

During the HUAWEI’s Community Party, Domcar Calinawan Lagto expressed his excitement after receiving the award and quickly shared what he experienced taking this photo. “The photo was taken during the Taal Volcano eruption. When I saw it on the news, as a photojournalist, my mindset was to capture that moment. But since I can’t physically be on site, I used what I had on hand so I took a photo using my HUAWEI P30 by the rice field.” he shared.

“I went back to take another shot in the afternoon and by then you can actually see the landscape view of ashes and clouds coming from the Taal Volcano. At that time, lightning was visible and the visual before me showed how beautiful and so powerful nature can be. With just my smartphone, I immediately started capturing this amazing moment so I can share this story with more people.” Domcar added.

Several Filipinos also won from the other categories including Rhon Paolo C. Velarde who was awarded the Best in Category for #Portrait using HUAWEI P40 Pro, and Melvin Anore who also won the Best in Category for #Night Walk using HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro.

This photo of a child looking towards the future and keep dreaming also received praises from the judges. “This image is so simple yet so effective. The black represents night or space. It is this negative space in the image that gives the viewer room for their imagination to run. The light on the child is warm, and the child’s stare goes on for 100 miles. The helmet, the light and the gaze all combine to take us to another universe.” said Jessica Hromas.

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This photo captured the moment of skaters at the skating rink during the Disco Light Show Skating. The colorful lights at the show adds mood to the scene. While seeming to be fun, shooting in low light conditions can be challenging especially with a mobile phone camera.

For the full list of award winners, please visit HUAWEI’s official website: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/campaign/xmage

Tell a story to inspire the world. Capture a moment of action that moves you and join us in the next XMAGE Awards!

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