A BS Information System student at the Pampanga State University won the Giant Lantern Festival 2025 Coffee-Table Book Cover Design Competition.
The entry of Jyg Irish T. Paras, who hails from Maligaya Village, Barangay Dolores, City of San Fernando, was chosen among 10 other designs which were aligned with this year's GLF theme "From San Fernando to the World."
The panel of judges said Paras' stunning, digitally hand-drawn festive cover perfectly captured the "quaint yet exciting spirit of the Christmas season."
Paras narrated that he creates digital artworks as a hobby and pastime, imagining various scenarios and characters before illustrating them.
A self-taught artist, Paras said he also enjoys crafting, including making costumes from recycled materials and especially creating miniature blades.
The student added that his design was created from an imagined shop called "Joe's Paroels" and the owner's grandson Mark.
“I began thinking of both a main story and a side story. If you look closely at my illustration, t.re's a shop called "Joe's Parods.” I didn't misspell it. I thought it would be a quirky touch that owner, Joe, would use a play on words for his shop's name. Joe has a grandson named Mark, who is deeply fascinated by nis grandfather's craftsmanship making parols."
He furthers: "to one see., Mark is shown riding on foe's back as they enjoy watching Lubenas pocession, where performers carry parols on sticks while celebrating.
I even added a small comedic moment where one of the performers accidentally steps on a cat and gets startled.The next scene shows Mark as an adult, presenting- a blueprint of a giant lantern to his grandfather,who is now elderly and a wheelchair. Joe looks very proud and happy to see his grandson following in his footsteps. Mark forms a small team to help design and build giant lantern, carefully deciding- what lights use based on his blueprint. After many years of trial and error, moment f inally comes—Mark holds his grandfather's old facecloth and, with a single push of a button, the giant lantern lights up brilliantly."
"I imagined what a Lubenas Bacolor would he looked like, filled with street vendors and lively performers. Then, I drew the flyover and San Fernando Cathedral to signify that scene had shifted to City of San Fernando. The road transforms into a reddish ribbon that forms a giant lantern I envisioned.
The festivals theme, "From San Fernando to the World,” inspired me to include iconic landmarks from around the globe within lantern designs, The Statue of Liberty, The Colosseum, The Taj Mahal, The Pyramids of Giza, Eiffel Tower, Christ Redeemer in Rio and the Rizal Monument. I simplified their shapes to match the aesthetics of a traditional giant lantern," he added.
Paras will take home the ?20,000 grand prize and the honor as the second student after 23-year-old architecture student Mary Christine Garcia of Barangay San Jose to win the cover design competition launched last year.
The GLF 2025 or "Ligligan Parul" will be held on December 13, 2025 at Robinsons Starmills in this city and participated in by barangays Bulaon, Calulut, Del Pilar, Del Rosario, Dolores, San Jose, San Juan, San Nicolas, Sta. Lucia, and Sto. Nino.