Some of the country’s top photographers and visual artists have expressed their excitement and support for the ongoing 2nd PAGCOR National Photography Competition. According to them, what makes the contest very special is its theme “Only in the Philippines” which highlights the best assets of the country.

Maricar Bautista, PAGCOR’s Assistant VP for Corporate Communications said the state-run gaming firm’s photography contest has been generating positive feedback from professional lensmen and visual artists alike.

She noted how several Filipinos have nurtured their passion for photography. “That was very evident when we had our first-ever photography competition last year. We are even more excited this year with the introduction of the new “Mobile category”. The advent of camera phones and mobile devices make it easier for any Filipino to take snapshots of sceneries and daily experiences that can only be found in the Philippines,” she cited.

For its second photo contest, PAGCOR invited award-winning photographers and visual artists as judges to ensure that the most deserving entries will win in the nationwide photo competition. They are as follows:

• Wig Tysmans, a sought-after corporate, documentary, and advertising photographer whose masterpieces have graced the pages of Manila’s top magazines as well as galleries here and abroad. His solo exhibitions highlight his expertise as a fine art photographer specializing in portraiture and nudes.  Among his notable exhibitions were those staged at the Ayala Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Goethe Institut Manila, The Luz Gallery and Pinto Gallery.
• Master cinematographer Romy Vitug whose films have won in various movie award-giving bodies like FAMAS (where he was a “Hall of Fame” awardee) and Gawad Urian. He has more than 50 feature films to his credit, among them timeless Filipino movie classics like “Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak”, “Alamat ni Julian Makabayan”, “Atsay”, “Bituing Walang Ningning” and “Hihintayin Kita sa Langit”.
• Award-winning visual artist Brenda Fajardo who was named one of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Thirteen Artists in 1992. She was also awarded the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999 and the 2012 Gawad CCP sa Sining Biswal. The former Chairman of the University of the Philippines Department of Art Studies is also an art curator, a set designer, actress, director and curriculum head for the Philippine Educational Theater Association since 1970, and Professor Emerita of the University of the Philippines Diliman.
• Photographer/multi-disciplinary artist Wawi Navarroza who has bagged several local and international awards including the CCP Thirteen Artists Awards national triennial (2012), the winner prize at the Ateneo Art Awards (2007), honorary award at Lumi Photographic Art Awards, Helsinki (2011), and finalist for the prestigious Sovereign Asian Art Prize (2011) and the Singapore Museum Signature Art Prize (2011). Navarroza has widely exhibited her works in the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Italy, Holland, Cambodia and Ireland. Her works are in the photography collections of LUMI, Helsinki/Oulu, Finland, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and private collectors around the globe.
• Seasoned photojournalist Gil Nartea who is presently the Chief Photographer of the Office of the President, Malacanang. Among the companies he previously worked for include the Manila Bureau of Agence France Presse (AFP), Journal Group of Publications, ABS-CBN Publishing, The Manila Chronicle, and Sun Star Manila. He has also spent 15 years teaching Photojournalism in UP Diliman.
• Frank Callaghan is an English-Filipino photographer known for his large-format night-time landscapes. He has had six solo exhibitions, two of which were shortlisted for Ateneo Art Awards. His work has been shown in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the United States. He is represented in Manila by Silverlens Galleries where he will have his next solo exhibit in July.
• Photography and Public Relations consultant Mandy Navasero studied BA in Professional Photography and completed her major in Advertising and Illustrative Photography in Santa Barbara, CA, USA. She has been conducting the Batanes and Socksargen Photo Safari workshops to share her passion and knowledge with photography enthusiasts. Navasero also curates art exhibits of known artists in her studio at the LRI Pavilion in Makati City.
• Filipino-American visual artist, musician, model and film artist Sarah Gaugler. She is well known as the vocalist of Philippine-based Electronic Rock Band Turbo Goth and for her unique and delicate artworks. Her band is the official Philippine delegate to the recently concluded SXSW: South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Last year, she was part of 2 film projects; "The Diplomat Hotel" for Cinemalaya and "Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo" under Star Cinema. This year, she will be seen in Ato Bautista's thriller called "Gemini".
• Bien Bautista whose expertise in photography ranges from advertising, fashion, industrial, corporate, travel and documentary. He has exhibited his works not only in the Philippines but also internationally, specifically in New York, USA and Hongkong. He has also published his own coffee table book titled “esta bien photographs”.

PAGCOR is accepting entries for its 2nd Photography Competition via online submission. Deadline of submission of entries is on May 9, 2014. The competition has two categories: “Conventional category” which covers images taken using conventional and compact cameras, and “Mobile category” which allows contestants to submit photos taken using apps in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

The prizes at stake are P75,000 for each of the 12 grand winners in the Conventional category and P30,000 for each of the 12 grand winners in the Mobile category. The winning photos will be featured in PAGCOR’s 2015 calendar. Meantime, the non-winning grand finalists will also be bringing home P20,000 each (for Conventional category) and P5,000 each (for the Mobile category).

For complete details on the 2nd PAGCOR National Photography Competition, please visit www.pagcor.ph, follow the agency’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pagcor.ph) and Twitter account (www.twitter.com/pagcorph), or call PAGCOR’s Corporate Communications Department at 353-8392.

Go back