Tercentenary Photo Contest Launched

Pictures are not just moments frozen in time. They bring back memories and lest they lose the delights they bring along with them, they are always worth sharing. Pictures speak of thousands of emotions and of moments of endearment.

It is in this light that Cherished Memories: Peñafrancia Tercentenary Photo Contest 2010 has been launched.

The contest is sponsored by the Documentation and Publication Sub-Committee Caceres Tercentennial Celebration 2010 whose coordinator is Fr. Roy Remo.

The Sub-Committee has released the following general rules and mechanics:

The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers.

Employees and immediate family members of the sponsoring group and its committee members are not eligible to join the contest.

The Contest shall have two (2) categories: a) Contemporary Photos and b) Old Photos. There is a third category on the Socio-Cultural and Historical Life of Naga but this will be handled by the Naga City Tourism Office (c/o Mr. Boy Aguilar) with specific guidelines in connection with its project Photo Walk. If interested, please coordinate directly with the said office.

a. Contemporary Religious - illustrates the best of anything and everything on related activities during the preparatory and celebratory phases of the Tercentenary (2007-2010) e.g. Traslacion, Fluvial, Dawn Procession, Pagsungko ni Ina, Harubay, Voyadores Seminar, Youth Vigil, Marian Song Writing, etc...

b. Old Photos- The pictures must approximately date from 1985 or earlier, either in color or black and white. The old photo should focus on any activity, event, memorabilia or other aspects related to the devotion to our Lady of Peñafrancia.

All entries may be submitted anytime from August 1-30, 2010 to the Chancery Office, Archbishop's Residence Naga City c/o Fr. Roy Remo. Entries submitted after the deadline are considered non-competing, but may still be included in the exhibits only.

Entries submitted should be of the following sizes: 8 inches x 12 inches White borders around the area are optional, but should not exceed one inch (1) on all sides. Each entry must carry a title or caption reflected in the entry form. Since the Ely's studio is the official printer of the photo contest, all entries will be printed by the said studio.

Each entry should be submitted in an envelope with a Contest Entry Form in duplicate: one copy attached to the entry and the second copy to be returned to the participant after having been duly received and signed by a representative of the secretariat. The name of the participant must not appear on the face of the entry itself but just on the information sheet.

The Sponsoring Group will not be held responsible for any damage or loss of any entry, although due care and precaution will be taken to ensure its safety.

All print entries become the property of the Sponsoring Group who may dispose of it in a manner deemed appropriate.

Selected reproduction copies of photos on display may be sold as collection items and the proceeds will be divided on a 50-50 sharing by the sponsoring organization and the owner of the photo.

There will be three (3) winners for each group: Contemporary Religious; and Old Photos.

The prizes for the winners are as follow:

First - Php10, 000.00

Second - - Php 7, 000.00

Third - Php 5, 000.00

All participants will receive a special souvenir - certificate of the Tercentennial Celebration.

Judging will be on Sept. 16 (Thursday) at 10:00 A.M. Announcement of winners be done at the Grand Cultural Presentation at Bishop Gainza Trade Fair, on Sept. 20, 2010 at 6: 00 p.m.

The decision of the board of judges will be final, non-appealable and non-revocable

There shall also be a display section of photos from Bikolano associations/organizations of different countries and provinces outside Bikol (maximum of three photos only per group) but only for exhibit purposes. Similarly, non-competing entries may be displayed in this section at the discretion of the organizers.

Only those qualified entries as selected by the sponsoring group will be displayed for exhibit. As the entries come in, there will be regular weekly upgrading of the exhibits, specifically for the old photos to be exhibited at the air-conditioned tent of the Bishop Francisco Gainza Trade Fair.

The following are the Specific Guidelines for Contemporary Religious Photos:

The participant is allowed to submit a maximum of 3 entries.

Black and white, sepia tone, colored, digital or digitally converted film negative entries will be accepted.

Entries must not have won any other contests/competitions nor have been published in any book or photography magazine.

Participants may use any digital or film based camera, provided that the photo entry shall be printed by Ely's Studio (ground floor, Bichara Mall) the duly authorized printer, on silk photo papers.

Printed output that is manually retouched and/or painted over is not allowed. Creative effects done within the camera at the time of exposure, such as multiple exposures, flash fill, lighting, filtration, etc. are allowed.

Digital retouching is TOLERABLE on density, contrast, adjustments, minor cropping on composition, burning, and dodging, and global adjustments. Major manipulation of main images through adding and subtracting are NOT allowed.

The criteria for judging are as follow:

Relevancy to Category Topic - Is the photo an obvious illustration of the category in which it is entered? (i.e.; "4-H in Action", "Nature's Beauty", etc.) - 25 pts.

Composition / Arrangement - Are the objects in the photo arranged in a meaningful, pleasing manner or are they "haphazard"? Did the photographer use the best angle or otherwise interesting perspective? - 20 pts.

Focus / Sharpness - Is the object of the photo in focus? If not in sharp focus, does it appear to be an intentional effect to enhance the image in some "artistic" way?  - 15 pts.

Lighting - Did the photographer use proper lighting of the subject matter? Do any extremes of darkness or brightness lend to or detract from the image content? - 15 pts.

Creativity / Originality - Does the photographer show some creative thought or original idea in the making of this image - 25 pts.

The qualified entries will be required by the organizers to submit the ORIGINAL negative or digital file for evaluation and publishing purposes.

The Sponsoring Group shall have the right to reproduce, exhibit or publish the images for promotional purposes but shall indicate and acknowledge the photographer. It may display the prints in a public venue or publish the prints for the purpose of promoting the competition or any by-product event arising from the competition without financial compensation to the photographers. However, the copyright of the photograph still belongs to the photographer.

The following are Specific Guidelines for Old Photos

There is no limit as to the number of entries.

The photo must not have been published in any book, magazine or newspaper.

Entries must be accompanied by the original. This original, however, will be returned to the owner after verification by the secretariat and scanned for collection purposes. The entry must be accompanied by a background write-up about the photo but not more than ten (10) sentences - in Bikol, Tagalog, or English.

The sponsoring committee reserves the right to publish, reproduce and/or exhibit the said photos without financial consideration to the owner of the photo. The owner, however, shall be duly acknowledged with his name printed.

The criteria for judging for are as follow:

Antiquity of Photo - 30 %

Socio-historical and Religious Value/Relevance - 50 %

Visual Impact - 20 %