Pulau Pejantan by Renhui Zhao, Singapore

1st Place: Fine Art - Conceptual & Constructed

Pulau Pejantan is a remote island of Indonesia. Nicknamed Sand Forest, it was undiscovered until June 2005 and has a treasure trove of unique species, such as the sand worms in the dunes and the lanternfish haunting the coastal waters. The Institute of Critical Zoologists invited Zhao on a research trip. The excitement surrounding the island’s mystery truly began on the third day aboard Sea-Farer II with unexplained splashes in the ocean. It was not until the end of the expedition, that he realised it was only diving birds making the noise.