The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) revives its highly anticipated nationwide photography contest for amateur and professional photographers, with bigger prizes at stake after a six-year hiatus.
Pagcor’s Assistant Vice President for Corporate Communications Carmelita Valdez said the state-run gaming agency once again gives both amateur and professional photographers a chance to showcase the beauty of the Philippines and win big cash prizes.
Pagcor launched its photo contest in 2013, and is now in its 5th time with thousands of participants from all over the islands. Registration has opened since February 15, 2023 and the contest will run until July 31, 2023.
“Sa’n Tayo Next?”, this year's theme for Pagcor Photography Contest 2023 seeks the underrated yet beautiful places with tourism potential in the Philippines. Photo entries must capture unpopular or not-so-famous spots that can potentially become major tourist hubs.
Valdez explained, “‘Sa’n Tayo Next?’ is the common question travelers would ask each other after an amazing experience in a place they just visited. The excitement of travel inspires them to immediately begin planning for the next trip. We hope that this photo contest will help boost our tourism sector that is now recovering from the ill-effects of the pandemic."
“This is your chance to show amazing destinations in the Philippines that are not yet widely known and often visited. It will give travelers more options to explore, and also help boost tourism in that area, which will later provide sources of livelihood to locals,” she said.
To join, participants must register and submit entries through the contest website https://www.pagcor.ph/photocon2023. The contest is open to all Filipino nationals who are at least 18 years old as of February 15. Deadline for submission of entries is on July 31, 2023.
A total of P1.6 million in cash prizes await 24 grand winners of the contest – P80,000 each for the 12 winners under the Conventional Category (SLR, DSLR, mirrorless, compact cameras, etc.), and P35,000 each for the 12 winners under the Mobile Category (smartphones, tablets, drone-mounted and action cameras). Submission is at a maximum of two entries under one category or one for each category.
16 non-winning grand finalists will get consolation prizes of P25,000 for the Conventional and P10,000 for the Mobile Category). A special cash prize of P10,000 will also be awarded to the “Most Liked Photos” under each category.
Participants need to register under the regional group where they are residing (Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao) and upload a valid ID with address as proof of residency. Regardless of residence, they can submit photos taken anywhere in the country from the period August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023 only.
Winning images will be featured in the Pagcor Calendar 2024.
For more information, visit www.pagcor.ph or follow Pagcor’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pagcor.ph).