Photo by Je Ji-won, winner of the Director of Temple Affairs Award in the mobile phone photo contest, titled 'Red Plum Guarding Gakwangjeon.' Courtesy of Hwaeomsa Temple

The winners of the "4th Hwaeomsa Temple Red Plum and Wild Plum Photo Contest" were announced, Tuesday.

Ven. Deokmun, the abbot of Daehwaeum Temple in the 19th District of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism on Mount Jiri, announced the results.

This year, a total of 1,141 entries were submitted, including 405 from professional photographers and 736 from mobile phone cameras, showing a significant increase from the 897 entries in 2023, indicating a much fiercer competition, the temple said in a statement.

In the professional photographer category, the Grand Prize of the Jogye Order's Executive Office went to Ok Maeng-seon for his work titled "The Elegance of Hwaeom Plum."

In the mobile phone camera category, Kim Dong-hee won the Grand Prize for his entry titled "Night View of Hwaeomsa."

This year's contest drew professional photographers from all over the country, who spent from dawn till dusk capturing the beauty of the blossoms.

Photo by Kim Dong-hee, winner of the Abbot's Award in the mobile phone photo contest, titled 'Night View of Hwaeomsa.' Courtesy of Hwaeomsa Temple

Photo by Ok Maeng-seon, winner of the Executive Office Director's Award in the professional photographer contest, titled 'The Elegance of Hwaeom Plum.' Courtesy of Hwaeomsa Temple

Photo by Lim Gui-bin, winner of the Abbot's Award in the professional photographer contest, titled 'Starlit Red Plum Blossoms at Hwaeomsa.' Courtesy of Hwaeomsa Temple

Photo by Moon Ju-hwan, winner of the Director of Missionary Activities Award in the professional photographer contest, titled 'The Noble Beauty of Red Plum Blossoms and a Lady.' Courtesy of Hwaeomsa Temple

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, was edited by The Korea Times.