01/24/2022
By Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business Unit at ViewSonic
ViewSonic created the ColorPro Award in 2020 to honour creators and their inspirations, which received significant attention. In a recent interview with The Guardian UK, Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business Unit at ViewSonic, outlined how the ColorPro Award was born, how it has evolved, and what it means to the company.
Q: Tell us about the ColorPro Award. Why was it created, and what did you want to achieve with the awards?
A: ViewSonic originally developed the ColorPro Award as a continuation of the work we’d been doing with our ColorPro line of displays that are specifically geared towards creatives. The more time we spent consulting with creatives of all kinds, the more we realised that we were in a position to do more than simply offer them hardware—we were developing a global network of talented people. The ColorPro Award emerged from this realisation. More than simply being an opportunity to offer exposure to incredible photographers around the world, it also gives us a platform to connect creatives around the world so that they can inspire and learn from one another.
ColorPro Award 2021 Exhibition at London, UK
Q: ViewSonic held the second ColorPro Award in last year, but let’s start from the beginning. Tell us about the ColorPro Award 2020.
A: Given the incredible difficulties the world was facing due to the pandemic, we opted to go with the theme, “Kindness”, that we felt could inspire some truly hopeful imagery and spread positive energy. We received a very diverse 2,100 entries from 18 countries. Our winning entry was taken by Spanish photographer Antonio Aragon Renuncio, whose shot was taken at a care centre in Togo for children with physical and learning disabilities and featured a 14-year-old helping a classmate with their homework before a game of soccer. It was a truly stunning portrait of everyday compassion and humanity.
Kindness, the 1st Prize Winner of ColorPro Award 2020
Q: Moving onto ColorPro Award 2021, why was the theme “New Adventure”? What were some highlights?
A: We felt that, after a year of lockdowns, restrictions on movement, and social distancing, we wanted a theme that was forward-looking—even if the world was still facing a great many challenges. To us, the idea of “New Adventure” really represented hope, a turning of the page. In 2021, we partnered with several trusted creative brands, including Capture One, Shoot the Frame, Monogram Creative Console, Getty Images, and iStock. The number of entries we received tripled, coming from a total of 45 countries—a result we were absolutely overjoyed with. We were also able to hold an exhibition in the UK in addition to Taiwan, which saw combined attendance numbers of nearly 7,000. Last year also saw the launch of the ColorPro Talks, which is a platform where we invite professional creatives to share their experiences with audiences, with a particular focus on providing amateurs with valuable insights that can help them to build on their passions.
Dead Goat Polo, the 1st Prize Winner of ColorPro Award 2021
Q: Are there any plans for the ColorPro Award 2022? What can we expect to see next year?
A: We want to continue to expand the ColorPro Award as much as possible. In addition to trying to grow the number of submissions, we hope to open the awards to other creative categories as well. We’d also like to increase the number of in-person exhibitions we hold around the world—but we’ll have to gauge the situation closer to the time. We are still living in very uncertain times, and we hope that the ColorPro Award will continue to offer some glimpses into the wonder and optimism that this world holds, through the eyes of some of its most talented people.
