Jakarta Vice Governor Rano Karno aims for the Color of Jakarta (COJ) Photography Contest to be further developed as a means to promote Jakarta and strengthen its branding as one of the world's top 50 global cities.

"We need to compete, in the sense of showcasing that Jakarta has potential,"

According to him, the COJ Photography Contest, initiated by Jakarta Communication, Informatics, and Statistics Agency (Diskominfotik), holds great potential to introduce Jakarta on a global scale.

"Next year, I want it to be more developed because we are moving toward the global stage. We need to compete, in the sense of showcasing that Jakarta has potential," he conveyed when handing over the COJ 2025 awards at Balai Agung, on Thursday (7/3).

He noted that Jakarta not only offers epic tourist destinations as photo objects. The uniqueness of Betawi culinary traditions, children's toys, and traditional clothing can also serve as fresh themes for the competition.

Beyond the competition, Rano said participants' works could be compiled into a book documenting the city's development or even turned into high-value souvenirs.

Moreover, he added, selected photos could be exhibited at several strategic public facilities, aiming to motivate young people to engage in positive activities and strengthen the city's branding.

"This event truly makes me happy because it reveals Jakarta's long-hidden potential, and now we are awakening it together," he expressed.

Head of Jakarta Diskominfotik, Budi Awaludin, explained that COJ 2025 carried the theme "Celebrating Local Identity, Building Global Entity".

Budi stated that the competition is part of Jakarta's anniversary event and serves as an initiative to encourage public participation in celebrating the city's diversity, beauty, and dynamic life through photography.

"This year, we truly appreciated the remarkable public enthusiasm, as reflected by the 5,258 photos received from 867 participants of various backgrounds," he mentioned.

This year's COJ featured several categories, including cultural traditions, public spaces, city landscapes, and photo series that offer in-depth visual narratives of Jakarta.

For the event, his side collaborated with various parties, including Samsung Indonesia for the smartphone photography category, and th e Tourism and Creative Economy Agency to visit and promote the Thousand Islands to photographers and content creators. 

"Our hope is for COJ not to remain just a competition, but to become a space of appreciation that strengthens the bond between citizens and their city through the visual art of photography," he said.