Malaysian Photographer Wins Gold at World Sports Photography Awards in Winter Sports Category
Last year, we spoke to Annice Lyn, one of Malaysia’s most prominent female photojournalists about what it was like working on the ground during GE15. Annice has many awards to her name and now she has added another by bagging Gold at the World Sports Photography Awards in the Winter Sports category. These are the only global awards for sports photography and are entered by the world’s best sports photographers and judged by leading figures from sport, media, brand and creative.
The winter photography category includes sports such as skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating, and sledding, with photographers being required to be able to ‘capture the action, the speed, and the intensity in a single shot’, according to the World Sports Photography Awards website.
Posting on her Instagram page about her win, Annice said, “I'm filled with humility and gratitude (this hits differently coming from a former national figure skater) for being able to walk among the giants and winning Gold in the Winter Sports Category of the World Sports Photography Awards 2023 for my work…”
She elaborated, “The competition was fierce, with over 700 photographers entering from more than 70 countries worldwide. Figure skating, a sport that has always been close to my heart, allowed me to capture the captivating moment of Alexandra Trusova from Team ROC as she skated during the Figure Skating Gala Exhibition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games held at the Capital Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2022, in Beijing, China.”
Her impressive image captured Russian figure skater Alexandra Trusova in mid-air as she donned a Wonder Woman costume. Annice’s passion includes upholding Malaysia's visibility in pursuing winter sports in a tropical equatorial climate.
Congratulations poured in from prominent figures such as squash legend Datuk Nicol David and internationally renowned artist Red Hong Yi. Speaking to Rojak Daily, she said, “These two awards actually hitsdifferent especially coming from our country not really recognising figure skating or winter sports. Hence it hits home because I always wondered how I can use my practice and knowledge as a former figure skater to make (not just good) but different photos from these world-class photographers.”
In May, she also placed in the top 9 AIPS Sport Media Awards 2022: Photography Portfolio. The awards are one of the highest international accolades in the sports media industry and Annice was amongst the 1830 submissions from 138 countries.
Annice was forced to retire from the sport back in 2015 due to a severe injury and geographical issues. She is also the first and only Malaysian female photographer to have her work accredited for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. She is also the co-founder of Women Photographers Malaysia, a community of empowered women photographers who break barriers.
The team produced Victoria’s Secret T-Shirt Bra campaign which was a female-led creative team of 35 women and eight men with Annice serving as an Executive Producer and behind-the-scenes photographer. Her works have also been featured in National Geographic, the New York Times and the cover of TIME magazine.
Follow Annice Lyn on Instagram and view the full list of winners here.
Image credit: @annicelyn