The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched a photo contest on Instagram to showcase the development progress in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and demonstrate how a focus on increased regional cooperation and integration can improve people’s lives.

A section of the Mekong River in Laos (Photo: thousandwonders)

The online photo contest, which is held using the hashtag #GMS25, is part of the 25^th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of the GMS Programme.

GMS countries are Cambodia, China (specifically Yunnan province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the GMS, we would like to take stock of the achievements of the regional cooperation and give a clear image of how it changed the lives of the people living along the Mekong for the better,” said Nguyen Minh Cuong, an ADB Principal Regional Cooperation Specialist and Unit Head of the GMS Programme.

“We’re hopeful that the photo contest will showcase this and provide encouragement for the future work of the GMS,” he added.

The contest is open to nonprofessional photographers, of any age from ADB’s member countries. Images must be original and taken personally by the photographer, not previously published, and showcase daily life in the Mekong subregion and how lives have changed in the last 25 years. Contestants can submit as many photos as they like.

To enter the contest, contestants post the photograph on their Instagram accounts using the hashtag #GMS25 and tag @ADB_HQ. Photos can be posted between January 8 and February 9. Winners will be announced on 20 February.

First prize winner will receive 500 USD, second prize winner will get 200 USD, and third prize winner will take home 100 USD.  Winners will be judged on the merit of their content or on the number of Instagram likes.

Established in 1992 with support from ADB, the GMS Programme helps the implementation of high priority subregional projects in transport, energy, telecommunications, environment, human resource development, tourism, trade, private sector investment, and agriculture.

As of 2016, ADB has approved 7.3 billion USD in loans for 84 GMS investment projects, with GMS member countries and development partners providing 4.9 billion USD and 6.9 billion USD, respectively, according to the bank.

(Source: VNA)