DAPITAN, known as the Shrine City of the Philippines, is undertaking preparations for the three-day "Handuraw Festival 2021," which will be held from December 28 to 30.
Apple Marie Agolong, Dapitan City tourism officer, said that among the highlights of the Handuraw Festival are the "Jose Rizal in Dapitan" digital art contest and the 1st Jose Rizal and Josephine Bracken look-alike competition.
"This year's Handuraw Festival marks the 125th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal," Agolong said.
Handuraw is the Cebuano word for "the power to imagine," "to reminisce," or "flashback."
Agolong said the digital art contest is open to all graphic designers from Dapitan City, Dipolog City and Zamboanga del Norte province.
Those who wish to join the contest should create a digital artwork about Rizal's Life in Dapitan City and should by an original creative artwork of the contestant, according to Agolong.
The digital artwork should be in high resolution Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format, preferably with maximum 2700 by 3600 pixels and 300 dots per inch (DPI), or nine by 12 inches with optimal printing resolution and with maximum file size is 10 megabytes (MB).
The images can be in portrait or landscape orientation, a static digital image, and unsigned.
Agolong said the contestants are not allowed to post their digital artwork entry on social media or other online channels before and after submission, prior to the announcement of winners.
"Entries who have been found to violate the rule will be disqualified," Agolong said.
The submission of entries will on or before December 28 at Dapitan City Tourism Office, or email to teamdapitan2015@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, the 1st Jose Rizal and Josephine Bracken look-alike competition will be held at 1 p.m. of December 30 at the Rizal Shrine.
Agolong said the winners will receive cash prizes and plaques.
Dapitan City holds the Handuraw Festival annually to commemorate the national hero's death and to promote its tourism industry.
The festival merges historical, cultural, social and economic elements related to the life of Rizal in Dapitan City.
Rizal lived the life of a political exile in Dapitan City for a period of four years and 13 days from July 17, 1892 to July 31, 1896. (SunStar Zamboanga)