Xiaomi Korea, the Korea unit of global IT corporations Xiaomi, said on the 18th it will hold an online photo contest, "the aesthetics of light," in collaboration with photographer Jo Se-hyun to mark the launch of the next-generation flagship smartphone "Xiaomi 17 series" recently introduced in Korea. The contest will run for about a month from this day to Apr. 19.
The contest, themed "the aesthetics of light," was designed so that domestic users can directly experience the imaging philosophy based on models jointly developed by Xiaomi and Leica. Anyone from professional photographers to general users can submit entries only if they are shot with a Xiaomi lineup smartphone co-developed with Leica or a Leica camera. Details on how to participate and the judging criteria can be found via the "the aesthetics of light" contest L.I.N.C and on the Xiaomi Korea Instagram account.
The submitted works will be judged by photographer Jo Se-hyun, with the final winners to be announced on Apr. 30. Judging will be conducted through a comprehensive evaluation focused on artistry, including interpretation of the contest theme, expressiveness, the story and emotion conveyed by the photo, composition, and completeness.
The first-place winner (one person) will receive the flagship smartphone "Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition (Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi)," worth 1,999 euros (about 3.42 million won) based on the European release price. Next, the second-place winners (three people) will receive a Xiaomi portable photo printer Pro and a set of photo paper (20 sheets), worth about 161,900 won, and the third-place winners (10 people) will receive a 10,000-won department store gift certificate.
During the contest period, Xiaomi will also run various social media (SNS) events such as a word-of-mouth event and a trial group event so that anyone can easily participate, with the aim of encouraging more consumers to join the "the aesthetics of light" contest.
Photographer Jo Se-hyun said, "The camera system of the Xiaomi 17 series can capture light and color with great precision, enabling sufficiently impressive results even in a mobile environment," and added, "Through this contest, I hope more people will record everyday scenes from their own perspective and experience the joy of photography that expresses various stories using light."
The Xiaomi 17 series consists of two models, Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Xiaomi 17, combining a Leica optical system with advanced imaging technology. The 17 Ultra pairs a 1-inch lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) main sensor with Leica-certified apochromatic (APO) lenses and a 200-megapixel telephoto camera.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi Korea will hold an offline trial certification review event from the 19th to the 22nd of this month to mark the launch of new products, including Xiaomi Pad 8 released in Mar. During the event, visitors to Xiaomi offline stores can try out newly released products in person — △Xiaomi Pad 8 △Redmi Buds 8 Pro △Xiaomi Tag △Xiaomi Watch 5 △Xiaomi Ultra Thin Magnetic Power Bank 5,000 milliamps (mAh) — and participate by uploading a review after actually using the products and tagging the @xiaomi.korea account. A total of 10 posts will be selected through internal screening, and prizes will be awarded to the selected participants. The prizes will consist of five Xiaomi Ultra Thin Magnetic Power Bank 5,000 mAh units and five Redmi Buds 8 Pro units.