The UP Photo Awards is a digital photography competition that seeks to visualize the overall experience of the University of the Philippines System and community during this time of pandemic through images captured by individuals from all walks of life. People are encouraged to submit photographs that would be iconic and permanent records of this moment in our history.

The contest will have five categories. Each category will have a winning photo. The winning photo will receive a cash prize of Twenty-Five Thousand Pesos (PhP25,000). Recipients of honorable mention awards will also be picked out from the five categories. All winners and honorable mention awardees will be eligible to compete for the Best Photograph Award.

The Best Photograph in the entire competition will receive a prize of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP100,000).

The images will be judged by a panel of distinguished jurors drawn from a variety of disciplines.

THEME: “UP in the time of pandemic”

 

Why Join?

The UP PHOTO AWARDS is the Philippines’ first-ever no-entry-fee online photo competition. It utilizes cutting-edge technology to accept entries from anywhere in the world and is judged by a panel of reputable jurors using a proprietary voting system. The competition accepts entries from any device that may take photographs including all kinds of digital cameras, smartphones, GoPro, and even drones, as long as the entry falls within the category guidelines.

The categories are People, Architecture, Nature, News, and Pre-Covid.

# First-Ever

UP is the first-ever institution to adapt a purely digital image collection and automated jury assesment of entries in the Philippines.

# Nationwide

The award is open to submissions on a national level, accepting entries from all Filipinos that have images about UP at the time of the pandemic.

# Exposure

In case you win, your photo will be exhibited online and in such venues as circumstances may allow. Get published when your photo becomes part of a coffee table book.

# Novel

This is the first competition of its kind. There is nothing else like it. Be part of history while showcasing images that are historical.

UP PHOTO AWARDS 2022

How to submit my projects?

UP PHOTO is an online platform where hobbyists, amateurs, and professional photographers can submit and upload their projects in a simple and easy process.

LEARN MORE

1.

Register Online

 

Create your membership account. This competition is open to all Filipinos who have photos of UP in the time of the current pandemic.

2.

Select the Category.

 

Select the categories your photograph belongs to, you may submit one or several photos to any categories you choose

3.

Upload Your Pictures.

 

You can upload as many photographs as you want. In the case of a photo series, you can submit up to 10 pictures that fit your narrative. Preview and submit.

UP PHOTO AWARDS 2022 Runs in 5 Categories. And Everybody Can Join!

The People Category.   This category shall be for people inside UP campuses. They may be images of the university’s employees, faculty, staff, utility workers, or just about anybody else inside the borders of the campuses.

The Architecture Category.  This category is open for images of the university’s structures. They may be images of building edifices, complexes, and mostly empty hallways, lecture halls, and classrooms. We anticipate creative approaches in terms of rhythm and repetitions, patterns and shapes, as well as color and texture combinations.

The Nature Category.  This category will feature images of the ecosystem of fauna and flora, and animals such as migratory birds, insects, and organisms that may be found inside UP campuses.

The News Category.   The News Category is expected to be the most “action-packed” category, showcasing how UP dealt with Covid-19 beginning with long-term lockdowns. In this category, we expect photographs of UP Philippine General Hospital, and of events such as community pantries within the campuses, and rallies, among similar photographs.

The Pre-Covid Category.   This category is for images captured from January 1, 2019 up to March 14, 2020, the day before the Philippine government instituted the first lockdown on March 15, 2020. This category is open for images that show the busy life in the campuses just before the lockdowns and quarantines.

"One day, this collective archive shall contribute to our digital heritage and will provide opportunities for a historical inquiry that we may learn from..."

Laya Boquiren, Curator, the UP Photo Awards

"Photography competitions provide photographers a venue to not only challenge their skills, but also to fulfill their obligations as visual storytellers and archivists of the known world."

Marc San Valentin, Head of Jury