MISO 04.06.2015
The 1st Rio de Quingua National Photography Competition is a national cultural event that will be held at the river bordering Pulilan and Plaridel, Bulacan from January to May 2015. It will be participated in by both amateur and professional Filipino photographers from various parts of the country; and will focus on the sights and ecosystem of this fragile environment, whose singular beauty, and majesty has captured observers since the Spanish colonial period. The event shall also serve as the 4th Mandala Art Festival of Pulilan, which has previously been focusing on the culture of the people of Pulilan through the farm animal fondly known as the carabao.
Pulilan is famed as the site of the annual Carabao Festival every May 14, which gives thanks to God for the bountiful harvests through the parade of traditional draft animals, primarily the carabao. On the other hand, Plaridel is also known for its Horse Festival, honoring the steed of its patron saint, Santiago de Compostela, with a parade held every December 29. For 2015, the Mandala Art Festival shall exclusively focus on the life of and in the river that has nourished the communities bordering it. Cash prizes will be offered to entries that can best represent in images the theme of environmental beauty and the need to conserve threatened natural ecosystems of the Philippines. Both Pulilan and Plaridel are descended from one mother pueblo, Quingua, which dominated this fertile agricultural and forestry area of eastern Bulacan, and from where the towns of Baliuag, Bustos, Angat, and Norzagaray also came from.
RATIONALE:
The 1st Rio de Quingua National Photography Competition is borne from the need to unify the various photography organizations nationwide through a competitive but friendly atmosphere of sharing their visions and talents towards highlighting environmental conservation and heritage preservation in the Philippine countryside. The event is meant to focus attention on the plight of the deteriorating Rio de Quingua (also called the Angat River), so that both local communities and the rest of the nation will see for themselves how beautiful and vital the natural river system is to the people who live in its banks, and rely on it for their livelihood; aswell as its function in managing floods and water supply to the municipalities through which it flows. The Rio de Quingua has deep roots to the past, as seen through artifacts that have been unearthed in its banks; as well as through historical accounts.
Archeological artifacts dating back to the 15th Century have been found in its shores, proving that the Pulilan-Plaridel area has been inhabited since before the Spanish conquest. In addition, the 18th Century Augustinian chronicler Fray Joaquin Martinez de la Zuñiga praised it as the most beautiful and cleanest river he has ever seen, whose sandy shores made it feel like a seashore, and whose size and power was comparable to the river systems of Europe. Now, the river is threatened by agro-industrial and domestic pollution from the communities nearby; as well as indiscriminate dumping of solid and liquid waste through untreated sewers, and unregulated garbage disposal. The Organizer is a nonpolitical, nondiscriminatory organization, and therefore photos must not show any explicit reference to political ideology or religion.
OBJECTIVES:
The event is meant to achieve the following:
• To document the present condition of the Rio de Quingua through skillful
and artistic photography;
• To showcase the surviving beauty and usefulness of the river to the people
living in its shores;
• To provide an avenue for the coming together of various national
photography clubs and associations;
• To educate viewers of the photographed images as to the plight of the river;
• To develop awareness on the deteriorating plight of the Rio de Quingua to
the nation, and to the world;
• To assist in efforts to conserve and revive the natural beauty of the river; and
• To begin the process of supporting the local disaster risk reduction and
management councils through the realization of a river rescue boat.
THEME:
The theme is “Rio de Quingua (Angat River).” Images should center on the river, telling stories about its condition, and its relevance on the immediate and surrounding communities.
HOW TO ENTER
1. Filipino citizens from 18 years old and above may join the photo competition. There is a maximum of 5 entries allowed for each participant.
2. Complete the provided registration form at www.riodequingua.com
3. Participants must be in good health, and not require intensive medical
attention.
4. Organizer’s Secretariat and their family members are not eligible to enter the
contest.
5. There will be a P500 one-time registration fee, which shall cover the costs of a Contestant ID, Commemorative shirt, and Insurance.
6. 2pcs 2×2 ID picture is required upon registration on site.
7. Contestant ID must be worn at all times during the competition. If lost please immediately inform the secretariat.
PHOTO/IMAGE REQUIREMENTS:
1. The photograph must be taken in digital format using DSLR.
2. A universal file format should be prepared by the photographer (JPEG) Minimum post processing is allowed (global image management, contrast brightness, color rendering and cropping). Local management, such as burning in, dodging, or substitution of images, are not allowed. Use of downloaded and copyrighted images are prohibited. Drones and underwater devices are not allowed.
3. Editing performed with in-camera settings prior to taking the photo is also acceptable but must be specified by the entrant on the entry form.
4. Color shifting, high dynamic range (HDR) images, stitched panoramas, and composite photos are NOT acceptable. An image created digitally through the use of computer software is also not acceptable. Any changes to the original photograph not itemized here are unacceptable and will disqualify the entry.
5. Both the raw file and processed files (JPEG) of the entry should be submitted. If an entry has no raw file, it will be disqualified. Raw files will be required for the top 50 entries.
6. The Photograph should be printed in full color.
7. Infrared and monochrome photos will not be allowed (B&W or sepia).
8. No names, watermarks, or signatures of the participant shall be allowed in the image area. Borders and markings indicating the photographer’s identity are not acceptable.
9. No nudity is allowed in this competition.
10.The entry should not have been submitted in any competition, or have been awarded in any competition, both local and international. The entry should not also have been previously published in any format. It is also advised that the competitor observe intellectual property rights of other photographers.
11. Photographs that include works of art by others will be accepted as long as they do not infringe on copyrights or proper permission is obtained from the artist. When a photograph includes the work of others, it must be as an object in the context of the photo and not a full-frame close-up of that artwork. The Organizer may request the entrant to provide proof of such permission as necessary, and failure to present such proof within a set deadline will disqualify the entry.
12.The photograph in its entirety must be a single work of original material taken by the entrant using a DSLR camera.
13. In entering this contest, the entrant confirms that the submitted photograph is an original work created solely by the entrant; that no copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity, or intellectual property rights of any person or entity are violated; and that the entrant has sole right, title, claim, or interest in the photograph.
14. Photographs submitted should not have been previously published or entered in any other competition. All entries must be taken from the PulilanPlaridel area as indicated in the map from February 1 to April 19, 2014.
15. The Organizer does not accept responsibility for any infringement of rights to reproduce or publish personal images, or other relevant rights, when photographic subjects are individuals.
16. The Organizer reserves the right to revoke awards if winners are found to have violated any of the contest rules.
COMPETITION DURATION:
1. Competition proper will start from February 1, and end at 5:00 PM of April 19, 2015. ON-LINE registration/reservation at www.riodequingua.com is required at least 1 week before the participant enters the said area.
2. One-time Registration fee is P500. Actual registration/confirmation is located at Rio de Quingua Secretariat, Pulilan Municipal Hall, 2F New Building, Municipality of Pulilan, Bulacan. Participants will be given additional 2 days extension as per requested provided that the secretariat is informed immediately for scheduling.
3. A maximum of 50 participants per day will be allowed to avoid congestion. Only the first fifty participants who have registered on-line for that day will thus be considered.
4. Participants shall log-in and log-out in the secretariat as a proof of visit every time they enter/exit the river. For guidance, kindly see the attached map.
5. Use of life vest is required if the participant is in the river. Life vests will be provided by MDRRMC at the port.
6. Photography in the said areas are allowed from 5:00am to 7:00pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Monday is a rest day. The use of rental of accredited boats shall be at the participant’s expense. The standard rate of the boat rental is Php700 max of 5 hours. All payments shall be done at the secretariat. Use of boat to explore the river is highly recommended. The o#cial entry/exit to the river is the Poblacion Port near the Pulilan Municipal Hall.
7. The participants are enjoined to practice safe and ethical photography while in the said area. Any unforeseen accidents that occur as a consequence of the participant’s inability to follow local guide recommendations will not be the responsibility of the organizers. Any losses and/or damage to equipment due to unforeseen event will not be the responsibility of the organizers.
8. The participants are prohibited from destroying, vandalizing, and/or adding excessive props (like smoke machines, and stage sets) to the natural scene of the area. Staged models that are not natural to the cultural integrity of the location will not be accepted.
9. The bringing and use of intoxicating beverages, hallucinogenic and/or mindaltering substances will not be tolerated.
10. Recommended accommodation and eateries for the participants are shown in the map. The participant shall take care of all of their expenses.
SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES:
1. Judging
The entries will be judged in accordance with the judging process and criteria defined below. The decision of the judges is final and binding, with no appeal. There will be two levels of screening: 1) prescreening for compliance with the rules and relevance to the theme; and 2) screening by a panel of judges based on the criteria of creativity (50%) and photographic quality (50%).
Prescreening
Proof of submission by the deadline is not a guarantee of eligibility for the contest. The Organizer reserves the right to prequalify the entries based on their consistency with the theme, compliance with the photographic requirements, and overall compliance with the rules. The prescreening will be completed by the Organizers within 7 days after the deadline. The prescreening committee will comprise three o!cers from the Organizers Secretariat, NCCA and Municipality of Pulilan. The Organizer is not obliged to inform entrants if they are disqualified.
2. For elimination round, all entries must submit 4R, 72 dpi via email at riodequingua@gmail.com, on or before April 20, 2015. All 5 entries should be submitted as a consolidated form, with proper details for one time emailing.
Judging by a Panel of Experts
The judging process will consist of four rounds of evaluation by five judges.
• In Round One, each judge will select 20 entries from among all eligible entries based on an equal consideration of creativity and photographic quality. Judges may make common selections. The entries selected in Round One will proceed to Round Two.
• In Round Two, each judge will select 10 entries from among all eligible entries based on the judging criteria. As in Round One, judges may make common selections. The entries selected in Round Two will proceed to Round Three. This is the top 50.
3. For top 50, entries must submit (DVD) RAW file, with fully accomplished entry forms via courier addressed to: Rio de Quingua Secretariat, Pulilan Municipal Hall, 2F New Building, Municipality of Pulilan, Bulacan 3005, on or before April 30, 2015. Late entries are automatically disqualified.
• In Round Three, each judge will select 4 entries from among all eligible entries based on the judging criteria. As in Round One and Two, judges may make common selections. This is the top 20.
• In Round Four, the judges will select a Grand Prize, 2nd Prize, 3rd Prize, and 5 Consolation Prize winners by assigning points to each entry based on the judging criteria. The judging criteria for the Grand Prize winner is that the photo best combines all the technical elements of photography and creatively interprets the theme.
4. Entries for short poetry interpretation by the participants are optional. A short poetry entry should not exceed twenty (20) lines of no more than ten (10) syllables each. The participant should be the author of the said short poem. No plagiarism, or any form of copyright violation, will be tolerated. All entries must be submitted via email at riodequingua@gmail.com on or before April 20, 2015. The poetry must be written in Pilipino.
5. The condition of the submitted entry is the responsibility of the participant. Any damage, loss, or physical destruction of the said entry as a consequence of the participant’s mishandling of said entry, freightage to the submission venue, or to force majeur, shall not be the responsibility of the organizer.
LICENSE
The Top 50 entries shall become property of the Museo de Pulilan, and will enter the Museum Collection as part of the documentation and exhibition material of the said event. The Top 50 Entrants/ winners of the contest agree to cede to the Organizers all rights for use of the photograph in any one of the Organizer’s information products not limited to its publications, website, and promotional materials.
The Organizer will have the right to use the winning entries for information, education, and public relations purposes without further compensating the top 50 entrants/ winners. Proper acknowledgement of the photographer will be made on all captions, exhibition texts, and other publicity paraphernalia. The Organizers will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. All non-winning entries are all welcome to donate their works in the museum.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
By entering this contest, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless the Organizers from any claims, losses, and damages arising from their participation in this contest or any contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded.
CONDITIONS
Entries will be deemed void if the Organizer determines the photograph not to be an original, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error, or obtained through fraud or theft.
By entering, entrants also agree to be bound by these o#cial rules; that the decisions of the judges are final and binding; and that the ORGANIZER may use the winning photographs and each winner’s name in any publicity relating to the contest or future promotions without compensation or approval.
All taxes and fees on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. In the event that a selected winner does not respond within 10 days to the email notification or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and the ORGANIZER may choose to award the prize to another entrant at its discretion.
The ORGANIZER reserves the right to verify the validity and originality of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant’s identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these o#cial rules or who tampers with the entry process. Failure by the ORGANIZER to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.
Right to Cancel or Suspend Contest
If for any reason the ORGANIZER needs to cancel the contest due to unforeseen circumstances, the ORGANIZER will not retain any rights to the submitted photographs and will o#cially advise the entrants/public of the cancellation. The ORGANIZER may, however, communicate directly with some entrants to seek permission to use their photographs in its future public relations activities.
Data Privacy
Entrants agree that personal data may be processed, shared, and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the contest and any other purposes outlined in these o#cial rules. The data may also be used by the ORGANIZER to verify the entrants’ identity, address, and telephone number or to otherwise verify their eligibility to participate in the contest. Entrants have the right to correct or cancel any personal data held by the ORGANIZER by e-mailing to riodequingua@gmail.com before the contest deadline. Personal data will be used by the ORGANIZER exclusively for the purposes of this contest.
PRIZES:
1st Prize – P50,000 plus Trophy
2nd Prize – P30,000 plus Trophy
3rd Prize – P10,000 plus Trophy
5 Consolation Prizes of P5,000 each
3 Special Awards for Best Short Poetry Interpretation
HOW TO GET THERE:
By Bus from Manila: from ES Transit Cubao Station, take ES Transit Bus to Cabanatuan via Pulilan, go down at Pulilan Junction. Take a tricycle to Poblacion-Munisipyo.
By Car from Manila: Take NLEX via EDSA-Balintawak or Mindanao Exit, proceed to Pulilan Exit. Take a right after the toll booth and continue until Poblacion. Take a right in front of San Isidro Church and proceed to Rizal Park. The Munisipyo is on your left across the park.
By Car from Central Luzon: Take NLEX and proceed to Pulilan Exit. take a left after the toll booth and continue until Poblacion. Take a right in front of San Isidro Church and proceed to Rizal Park. The Munisipyo is on your left across the park.
By Plane: Take a taxi from NAIA2-3 to ES Transit Terminal EDSA Cubao. From ES Transit Cubao Station, take ES Transit Bus to Cabanatuan via Pulilan, go down at Pulilan Junction. Take a tricycle to Poblacion-Munisipyo.
SCHEDULES:
January 21, 2015: Start of on-line registration
Feb.1 to April 19, 5pm, 2015: Competition proper, Angat River, Pulilan-Plaridel Area
April 20, 5pm: Deadline of submission of entries for elimination round (4R)
April 30, 5pm: Deadline of submission of TOP 50 entries (RAW file)
May 6: Judging
May 13 (Wed) 2015: Awarding & Exhibit Opening, Robinsons Supermarket-Pulilan
September 2015: Target launching of the commemorative book
ABOUT THE PROPONENT:
The First Rio de Quingua National Photography Competition is a Project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts-National Committee on Visual Arts, the Jefarca Arts and Historical Society Inc., Museo de Pulilan and the Municipality of Pulilan.
Jefarca instituted the first river conservation program in 2001, through the establishment of Ugnayang Kalikasan, a coalition of non-government organizations, and fishermen’s groups that make their living in the river. Ugnayang Kalikasan’s dream is to restore the river from its current polluted state, in order for the river to be beneficial once again to the community that depends on a clean and ecologically sustainable river for livelihood and survival. The tourism industry of Central Luzon will also be a major benefactor once the river is cleaned up and restored to its former greatness.
The Project also aims to establish the proposed Rio De Quingua foundation, which in collaboration with all the stakeholders of the river, aims to sustain the traditional life of the river; push for the passing of environmental laws and implementation of sustainable industries that use the river; invest in research to clean up the river and restore its vibrant flora and fauna; organize river tours for the education and pleasure of locals and foreigners, which will accelerate the development of the local tourism industry; and for local residents and visitors to once more enjoy the scenic view via riverside picnics and fishing parties, and even bathe in the river, as they did in the past.
This national photography competition will be a great help in order to fulfill its dream.
