“Patron Saint of the Mariners” by Kurt Austin Garcia of Raw and Untitled PH wins SinagLarawan of the Year

Jessie Eno’s “Harvest from the Crown Jewel” and Missy Keith Acbang’s “The Current’s Common Ground” round out the top 3

SinagLarawan marked its successful 2025 Photo Contest with the Isa sa Isla Photo Exhibit Opening and Awarding Ceremony. The nationwide photo competition completed its annual run with over 480 entries by photographers from all over the Philippines.

A standout initiative by JTI Philippines Community Investment, the SinagLarawan Photo Contest promotes artistic development and helps drive cultural preservation by leveraging the powerful art of photography. The contest engages photography communities in the different parts of the country, with its yearly themes aimed at highlighting Filipino traditions and characteristics.

The Isa sa Isla Photo Exhibit, which ran from November 7 to 9 at the third floor East Wing of Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, was a visual exploration of how our lives in the islands are linked by water in profound and complex ways. The winning images further underlined how these connections have given rise to communal aspects of Filipino culture that are unique to our geography.

SinagLarawan continued to recognize the caliber and creativity of homegrown photographers as it awarded its top prizes for 2025. Contest judges and some of photography’s biggest names Veejay Villafranca, Sandra Palomar, Raena Abella, and Artu Nepomuceno were all present during the SinagLarawan 2025 Awarding Ceremony.

The renowned Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Jeffrey Solares, and music and theater artist Lara Maigue gave stunning performances to celebrate the evening.

Guilherme Silva, JTI Philippines General Manager, who also served as a judge, conveyed his appreciation for the enthusiastic response to this year’s SinagLarawan. In his welcome remarks, he said, “This is the third year that JTI has held the SinagLarawan Photo Contest, and I am happy to say that we saw a significant increase in the number of photographers joining the contest, as well as good representation from photo clubs and communities from all over the country.”

The evocative image “Patron Saint of the Mariners” by Kurt Austin Garcia of photo club Raw and Untitled PH won the Grand Prize or SinagLarawan of the Year. The highest honor in the competition came with a P150,000 cash prize and trophy, as well as P30,000 and a certificate for his photo club.

Jessie Eno’s “Harvest from the Crown Jewel” was awarded First Runner Up, receiving P120,000 and a trophy, with P25,000 and a certificate for photo club Putowalkers. “The Current’s Common Ground” by Missy Keith Acbang completed the top 3 as Second Runner Up, with a P100,000 cash prize and trophy, and photo club Samahan ng mga Litratista sa Rizal receiving P20,000 and a certificate.

SinagLarawan 2025 recognized 8 outstanding photos for its Circle of Excellence, each awarded a cash prize of P80,000 and a trophy, while their respective clubs received P10,000 and a certificate each. The Circle of Excellence winners included Mark Kevin Badayos and Salvador Toong III of the Photographers Club of Cebu Inc., Nathaniel Carampatana of Putowalkers, Reu Dawner Flores of the Samahan ng mga Litratista sa Rizal, John Kimwell Laluma and Alfred Immanuel Sa-onoy of the Camera Club of Negros, Brian Roldan of Raw and Untitled PH, and Lord Aeron Salem of the Philippine Society for Photography.

The thirteen winners of SinagLarawan 2025 Special Awards were also celebrated during the ceremony, receiving P50,000 and a certificate each. Arturo De Vera Jr. bagged the JTI Employee Choice award. The Rehiyon Awards presented three winners per region including Jose Revoli Cortez, Sean Jhayzeith Cortez, and Fionna Pelayo for Metro Manila; Arnold Mark Ian Cacanindin, Michael Angelo Luna, and Zarah Jane Ngo for Luzon; Catherine Angeles, Redante Auxilian, and Carlito So for Visayas; and Gale David Davad, Glenn Magallano, and Wyndell “Dell” Supremo for Mindanao.

For this year’s run, the photo contest also named 76 Finalists as part of its top 100 roster, each receiving PHP 10,000 in cash and a certificate. SinagLarawan is awarding over 2.5 million pesos in cash prizes for 2025. All 100 winning photographs will be featured in a coffee table book. SinagLarawan is also featuring the Top 24 photos in its special edition JTI Philippines calendar for 2026.

For more information and to view the winning photos, please visit the official website at jtisinaglarawan.com.