NCCA accepting nominations for national artist

MANILA, Philippines — The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) are again accepting nominations for the Order of National Artist (ONA).

In a statement, the NCCA said that the ONA is jointly administered by the NCCA and CCP and conferred by the president of the Philippines.

The ONA is regarded as the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals that aim to acknowledge artists who have made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the country; artistic accomplishment at its highest level and to promote creative expression as significant to the development of a national cultural identity, and artists who have dedicated their lives to their works to forge new paths and directions for future generations of Filipino artists.

The candidates may be nominated under one category where the artist made his or her most notable contribution, but other merits will be added to the citation where applicable.

The categories are Dance, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film and Broadcast Arts, Architecture and Allied Arts, and Design. There are so far 81 proclaimed national artists.

To qualify for ONA, the artist should meet the following criteria: living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of nomination and at the awarding, as well as those who died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death; artists who through the content and form of their works have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood; artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists; artists who have created substantial and significant body of works and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form, thus enriching artistic expression or style; and artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition such as the Gawad CCP para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award and NCCA Haraya Awards(Alab and Dangal), critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and respect and esteem from peers.

Various honors and privileges are entitled to those conferred with the ONA: the rank and title of being a National Artist, as proclaimed by the Philippine president; the National Artist gold-plated medallion minted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and citation; lifetime emolument and materials; and physical benefits such as cash awards, lifetime monthly stipends, medical and hospitalization benefits, and coverage by a life insurance policy by the Government Service Insurance System and/or private insurance companies.

Nominations for the ONA may be submitted by government and non-government cultural organizations and educational institutions, as well as private foundations and councils.

The deadline for submission of nominations is on June 30, 2024.