NABF Newsletter #9

Feature #2

WBFF Bonsai Contest: Photos from Around the World

By James J. Hughes

As part of the 5th World Bonsai Convention, the photos from the top 100 winners of the WBFF Bonsai Contest will be displayed in the International Pavilion of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum. Official announcement of the top three winners will be made at an award ceremony to be held on Sunday, May 29, 2005, during the banquet scheduled on the grounds of the U.S National Arboretum as part of the 5th WBC.

The Contest was inaugurated by Japan Airlines in 1999, and for the last five years the Nippon Bonsai Association and the Japan Bonsai Growers Cooperative have sponsored the Contest to highlight noteworthy bonsai from around the world. In 2004, this contest became the WBFF Bonsai Contest.

Japan Airlines is the main corporate sponsor and is supported by Hazaka Plant Kogyo as a co- sponsor.

Bonsai enthusiasts from all countries, except Japan, were once again asked to submit up to five entries in the form of photographs. The deadline for submission was October 31, 2004.

Winners in the contest were decided by a screening committee in November, 2004. The entries were judged based on the beauty and health of the bonsai tree and the technical skill of the bonsai artist as displayed in the photograph. The screening committee was comprised of:

• Saburo Kato (Former Chairman of WBFF and the Nippon Bonsai Association (NBA))
• Hiroshi Takeyama (Chairman of NBA)
• Hatsuji Kato (Chairman of the Japan Bonsai Growers Cooperative (JBGC)
• Jiro Fukuda (Former Chairman of JBGC)
• Shinichi Nakajima (Executive Director, JBGC)
• Yasuo Ito (Board Member, NBA).

There will be one Grand Prize which includes a round-trip Executive Class ticket on Japan Airlines to/from Japan. The two Runner-up Prizes are round-trip Economy Class tickets on Japan Airlines to/from Japan. There will also be 50 International Winners based on nutrition, technical skill and beauty of the trees. Finally, there will be 47 Honorable Mentions highlighting the best entries representing the participating countries and regions of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation.

The 100 photos of the 2004 winners will be on display at the Arboretum from May 28 through December 31, 2005. The winners for 2003 can be seen on the website www.worldbonsaicontest.com.