Winners of the My Ideal Homes Photo Contest posing with Tyan Ping (in maroon shirt) and judges during the prize-giving ceremony.

LOCAL shutterbugs hit the jackpot after capturing the beauty and allure of homes built by Ideal Property Group with their cameras.

From architectural closeups to joyful family moments, their imagery stood out in the ‘My Ideal Homes Photo Contest’ early this year.

Split into two categories — Open for all, and Special for Ideal staff and Penang Press Club members — it received over 400 entries.

Loh Kok Kheong won the Open Category with his entry Happy Family, showing a father and his kids having a good time at the pool at their home in One Imperial, Sungai Ara.

Meanwhile, Chian Sin Ye from Ideal took first place in the Special Category with his bird’s eye view piece titled, One Imperial Garden shot at the same development.

It captured the residential tower juxtaposed against its resort-styled facilities, all lighted up at night.

Both winners received RM3,000 each in a prize-giving ceremony held recently at the developer’s main office in Bayan Baru.

Also awarded were Ooi Chean Sean and Law Bee Ling who came in second and third in the Open segment with works titled, Happy Life at Ideal Home, and Imperial Residences — My Dream House, respectively.

For the Special Category, Hii Chai Yun and Kelvin Ong Ghee Tien were the runners-up with pieces titled Happy Moment and Imperial Residences respectively.

The Star’s staff won three Commendation Prizes — with photographers Gary Chen and Chan Boon Kai impressing with their respective pieces Pool of Imperial and Imperial Residences, and stringer Jeremy Tan with his Having The World in Our Hands.

Second and third-placed winners won RM2,000 and RM1,000 each, while all commended works received RM500.

The contest was jointly organised by Ideal Property Group and the Penang Press Club.

In the duration, the developer opened its projects for participants to have photography sessions at the Imperial Residences in Sungai Ara, and Tree Sparina and Fiera Vista in Bayan Lepas.

Entries were judged by the honorary president of the Federation of Asian Photographic Art Looi Toong Hong, The Star’s former Penang photo chiefNg Ah Bak and Ideal’s chief operating officer Ng Tyan Ping.

Tyan Ping said all participants showed a high-level of photographic skill, and it was not an easy task for them to select the winning pieces.

Also present was Penang Press Club chairman Teoh Boon Liang.