MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA)--The Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism (MTIT) kicked off Tuesday, August 10, its region-wide photo contest dubbed "Bangsamoro: Revealing its Hidden Treasure" to showcase the pristine gems and tourist spots of the Bangsamoro homeland through the art of photography.
The competition, which is spearheaded by the Ministry’s Bureau of Tourism, will run from Aug. 10 until around 5:00 PM on Sept. 20, 2021, and is open for all interested participants across the Bangsamoro region.
The priority areas of the photo contest theme are community-based economic sites and activities, social enterprise, gastronomies, eco-tourism and adventure tourism, sun, beach, diving and marine sports tourism, cultural, religious, historical parks and landmarks, meeting, incentive, conference, and events.
MTIT Minister Abuamri Taddik encouraged everyone, especially the youth, to take part in the contest and feature the culture and historical events of the Moros as well as highlight the tourist attractions in the region through photography.
“Let us support this endeavor para maipakita natin [ang BARMM] hindi lang sa Pilipinas kundi sa buong Mundo dahil ang mahaga dito ang promotion [sa ating turismo],” Taddik said.
(Let us support this endeavor so that we can show BARMM not only in the Philippines but all over the world because the most important thing here is the promotion of our tourism.)
In a video message, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim hopes that the rest of the country [and the world] would get to see the region’s rich tourism, trade, and industry assets.
“It’s also prim and proper that this initiative comes from us, the locals, of this beautiful region as well. Because at the end of the day, there can be no better ambassadors of this region than those who live in it as well,” Ebrahim said.
Bureau of Tourism OIC Director John Lomboy said all entries must be strictly “geotagged photographs” to indicate their location and with at least 300 PPI (pixels per inch) resolution.
Further, the photos must be taken within the BARMM area only, and are original, personally taken, or legally owned by the participants.
Participants can submit no more than five (5) entries, provided, however, that the photographs to be submitted shall be in one (1) registration form per entry.
The submission shall be on MTIT’s official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/barmmmtit). Participants can also seek assistance from the provincial offices of MTIT if an internet connection is not available in the area.
Judging criteria include relevance to the theme (40%), composition and creativity (30%), and the overall impact on the viewers (30%).
Each province of BARMM including Cotabato City and Special Geographic Area will have its own winners, respectively.
The winners will receive P15,000.00 for the 1st prize, P10,000.00 for the 2nd prize, P5,000.00 for the 3rd prize, and an additional P3,000.00 for the consolation prize allotted for five participants from each province. (Bangsamoro Information Office)
