DPC, PLDT to showcase ‘Scenes from My Hometown’ in photo tilt

MANILA, Philippines - The Directories Philippines Corp. (DPC) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) have launched the 28th annual Visual Arts Competition.

The contest is open to students, aged 15 to 24, from any local school.

Each contestant can submit up to three entries, either in full color or in black and white. To qualify for the major prizes, any entry must have an 8” x 12” portrait orientation with a resolution of at least 10 megapixels. All entries must be uploaded to the contest’s website, www.visualarts.ph.

A total of P700,000 in cash prizes, handsome glass trophies, cameras and computer printers are at stake. Winning photographs will be featured on covers of the PLDT White Pages and DPC Yellow Pages.

The competition is endorsed by the Department of the Tourism.

Since 2011, the DPC has employed digital photography as its medium of entry to engage the ever-growing number of young but highly creative Filipino photo enthusiasts.

To reinforce the Filipino youth’s connection to their roots, DPC and PLDT are adopting “Scenes from My Hometown” as this year’s theme.

“We want a strong local flavor this year,” DPC president Ricardo Bautista said during the launch, which was attended by representatives of partner institutions, Canon Marketing Philippines and Gateway Mall, as well as members of academe and media.

“We are expecting a bumper crop of photographs, each one capturing the unique beauty, charm or character of that town or city that a student has learned to call — or has always known to be — home.”

The grand prize winner will take home P80,000 in cash, a special trophy designed by sculptor Impy Pilapil, and a Canon EOS 550D digital camera.

In addition, his or her school will receive a P25,000 donation from DPC and PLDT, plus a Canon PIXMA printer. The next three major winners and their respective schools will receive similar prizes.

The top 50 finalists will automatically win P5,000 in cash, and their works will be put on display at Gateway Mall. The public can select their favorites for the People’s Choice Awards — one each for Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao — via online voting through the competition website.