The sacred Buddhist mountain, Mount Wutai, Shanxi province, has launched a photography contest to promote the breathtaking integrated views of natural and cultural landscapes of Shanxi province.

Titled Buddha-Dharma-Sangha after the three pillars of Buddhism (the Buddha, the truth and the Buddhist community), the competition will accept any entries depicting the beauty of Mount Wutai and daily life on the holy mountain submitted before Nov 27, with the winner receiving a prize of 8,000 yuan ($1,200).

According to Master Shijueyi, head of China Painting and Calligraphy Art Institute of Mount Wutai, this year's competition already looks like being the most competitive yet.

"This year's photography contest is receiving more entries from home and abroad than ever before, and the works are much more innovative,"he said.

Master Shijueyi emphasized that the photo contest is focused on recording changes taking place on Mount Wutai, especially changes to temples and cultures over time, as well as promoting Buddhism and social stability at fixed moments.

According to Zhang Yulai, director of Mount Wutai's tourism development center, the contest takes place once a year, with the winning photos included in an exhibition that tours the country to share the Buddhist temple's glorious landscapes with people all over China.

Photo Challenge: Buddha-Dharma-Sangha

Theme: The Buddha, dharma (truth) and sangha (Buddhist community)

About the Challenge:

Mount Wutai launched a photo contest titled Buddha-Dharma-Sangha on Oct 1 to share its breathtaking landscapes with the world and strike a chord regarding belief and benevolence. Entries will be accepted until Nov 27.

Prizes:

The competition will feature two separate contests: one for photos taken using photography equipment, and another for cell phone camera photos.

The photography equipment contest will award three grand prizes, six second prizes and 18 third prizes, as well as special prizes for the seven best sunrise pictures recording the cultural landscape of the Eastern Peak.

Each grand prize winner will receive 8,000 yuan ($1,200) and a photography certificate giving them free access to the scenic spot.

In the Eastern Peak sunrise photo contest, the photographer that wins first place will be awarded a gold medal, while the other winners will receive a silver medal.

Forty-five winning cell phone photos will also be selected.

All the prize-winning works will also have the opportunity to be included in a special Buddha-Dharma-Sangha autograph album that Mount Wutai plans to produce after the contest.

Calligraphy by the great Buddhist Master Shijueyi from Mount Wutai's Wanghai Temple will also be offered as a prize to winners in the photography competition. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Additional awards for competition winners will include landscape paintings of the views from Mount Wutai, amulets, gold medals and flasks. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Dates:

???? ? Contest began on Oct 1, 2016. Submissions accepted from Oct 8 to Nov 27, 2016.

???? ? Winners will be announced on Mount Wutai's official website (http://www.chinawutaishan.cn), and the award ceremony will be held in early December.

How to enter the photo contest:

????? ? Select the photo from your device and e-mail it to 1210807253@qq.com along with details about you and your photo.

The online voting portal:

????? ? Visit Mount Wutai's website (http://www.chinawutaishan.cn) or http://xinzhou.news.163.com and click the 'vote' button on the uploaded photo.

????? ? Alternatively, you can vote via official public WeChat account 'wtsysj' or Mount Wutai’s official Wechat account 'wtsfjms'.

Creative brief:

Photos taken by cameras or mobile phones must fulfill the following criteria to be considered for an award.

???? ? Photos must be relevant to the competition theme. Entries depicting cultural wonders such as Buddha statues, phoenixes and dragons found in holy Buddhist sites or documenting the spreadhing of the Dharma and monks' religious practices are particularly encouraged.

???? ? Photo submitted must be your own work.

Remember that you should not only be submitting a photograph, but also telling a story!

This is a photo submitted on the first day of the competition showing the spectacular views of Wanghai Temple, or "Watching the Sea" Temple in Chinese, which sits 2,996 meters above sea level on the Eastern Peak of Mount Wutai. The photo has already received a lot of votes through the competition's website and WeChat account. [Photo/chinawutaishan.cn]