The Eleventh International Bornean Frog Race is the flagship amphibian conservation event of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
This year’s closing event was addressed by Professor Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit, Vice Chancellor, UNIMAS, who mentioned that the International Bornean Frog Race is a citizen’s conservation movement that draws public attention to Sarawak and Borneo’s rich biological diversity. The chief components of this year’s Race included a photographic competition, the event also including talks on amphibians and on mobile photography, vendor exhibition, documentary screening and sale of merchandize. The Race itself pits participants in a competition to find and photograph amphibian species, across Borneo on the nights of 28 and 29 June 2025.
The Race is celebrated almost every year, typically on the last weekend of April, since 2012, and this was the eleventh edition. The event coincides with the annual ‘Save the Frogs Day’, a global event celebrated via 270 events in over 30 countries worldwide, to highlight conservation issues facing the world’s amphibians. The Race is organised by the students and staff of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation and the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, UNIMAS.
Activities held at PeTary Auditorium, the library of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, at Kota Samarahan, included talks, exhibition, sale of frog-related merchandize, documentary screening and prize awarding of the photographic race. The last-mentioned is the highlight of the event, and took place across wilderness areas across Borneo, where participants competed to obtain photographs of the most number of species, as well as those that was to be judged for their aesthetics and technical aspects, in two different categories- DSLR in one, and mobile phones, in the other. Every Race participants received a T-shirt, a button badge and a postcard, frog-themed items specifically made for the event every year.
The International Speaker for the event was Prof. Alexander Haas of the Museum of Nature Hamburg, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg, Germany, who spoke on the larval stages of amphibians of Borneo, and the diversity of lifestyles shown. The local speaker, Ms Nathaline Ping Anak Wailyn of the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, on Sarawak’s only endangered amphibian- the Hole-loving frog. Following closure of the Race, a post-Race tour was led by Ms. Nathaline to the locally protected area inhabited by this frog species.
The event was supported by Shell Chair at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, and winners were awarded cash prizes as well as ‘mystery gifts’ (amphibian and conservation-related books).
This year’s top prize for Best Photo (Camera) went to Bruce Teo, with second and prizes awarded to Oliver Christopher and Jason Teo Jia Hong, respectively.
The best photograph captured with a mobile phone was by Ng Jia Jie. Winners of the second and third places in this category were AK Mohd Shahrin Nizam bin Haisron and Simon Hiew Xi Zen, respectively.
Prizes were also given to Racers who photographed the most number of species, the first place going to Mohd Hafiz bin Ali, followed by Bob Zakaria and Mohammad Affirul Faim bin Abdul Rahim, respectively.
Finally, a new category of award was instituted this year, ‘Most Unusual Finding’, to reflect new knowledge or unusual discovery during the event. This year’s winner was Masliadi bin Asri, for his image of a sticky frog emerging from a pitcher plant.
For her contribution to the event for 11 versions of the event, a special prize went to Dr Pang Sing Tyan.
The international panel of judges, who generously gave their time and expertise to the event included Dr. Hans Hazebroek, Ms. Cynthia Lobato, Mr. Chien Lee, Ms. Pearl Ee, Mr. Collin Cheong, Mr. Pui Yong Min, Dr. Jongkar Grinang, and Prof Indraneil Das. We are grateful to Shell Chair for sponsoring the event, and staff of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation and the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology for generously giving time and effort to hold the event.
The International Bornean Frog Race is organised by the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, and brings to the fore the great beauty and diversity of Borneo’s amphibian fauna, and at the same time, highlighting the importance of forests and wetlands for maintaining biodiversity.
