'Finding Taiwan' global short film contest to open for submissions

Taipei, June 16 (CNA) The annual international short film competition "Finding Taiwan" will open for submissions by the end of the month, with a new special prize introduced this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a government-funded magazine.

The 2026 edition of the government-organized competition will be held under the theme "Where We Connect," said Chang Hsiu-chen (張秀禎), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Department of International Information Services, on Tuesday.

The competition is aimed at promoting Taiwan's culture, beauty, and local stories to a global audience, and MOFA hopes creators will explore such areas as democracy, innovation, culture, and technology to highlight how interconnected Taiwan is with the world, Chang said.

A special prize has been established this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the magazine Taiwan Panorama, according to Chang, though she did not say what the prize would consist of.

The magazine, launched in 1976 and published by MOFA as a monthly bilingual publication with Chinese-English and Chinese-Japanese versions, has showcased Taiwan's culture, society, and development for half a century, Chang said.

The special prize will encourage creators to draw on the magazine's extensive online archive as a "source of inspiration for reinterpretation and re-creation, allowing precious historical images and reports to be seen again in new forms," she said.

More details about the annual competition will be unveiled later this month, Chang said.

The competition, which is open to Taiwanese and foreign nationals, was launched in 2015 under the name "Trending Taiwan" before being renamed "Finding Taiwan" in 2025.

Last year, the competition attracted 283 submissions from participants in more than 20 countries and territories, according to MOFA.

Carl Ivan Baleros of the Philippines won the grand prize of NT$200,000 (US$6,337) last year for his work, "Finding the Beauty of Life in Taiwan."