$10,000 prize awaits Filipino photographers in New York contest

The International Photography Awards, known as the Oscars of Photography, has included the Philippines in this year’s installment of The Lucie Awards gala ceremony.

“It is our mission to make the IPA the premiere, truly international photographic competition. By

expanding into the Philippines this year, we are reaching another milestone,” said Hossein Farmani, the founder and president of Lucie Awards on June 10.

The IPA will hold its 13th Annual Competition to compete for the top prizes at the Lucie Awards Foundation to be held at Carnegie Hall New York City on October 27.

Ruston Banal, the award winning photo journalist and also a winner of the IPA in 2013 in New York City, hosted the launching of IPA with Farmani.

Organizers said the IPA Philippines would also focus on engaging university and college students to help provide an opportunity for exposure to them at an early stage in their photographic career.

The expanded mission will showcase the enormous photographic talent of the Philippines.

The top winners of these regional competitions will be showcased alongside the IPA Best of

Show at Splashlight Studios later this year in addition to an exhibition in Manila.

These top winners will compete alongside the IPA’s finalists for IPA’s top cash prizes in New York City on October 27.

“There is much talent to be discovered in the Philippines, as we found in China and Russia,”

Cat Jimenez, project director of IPA Philippines and executive director of Lucie Foundation said.

She also boosted of the country’s sophisticated photographers, hence, she wants to bring the imagery to the world.

Winners from IPA Philippines will be invited to compete against all IPA International and Regional finalists at The Lucie Awards in New York City.

The top four prizes are: International Photographer of the Year ($10,000US), Discovery of the Year ($5,000US), Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year ($5,000US) and Moving Image Photographer of the Year.VING ($2,500US).

To date, the International Photography Awards have given over $250,000 in cash prizes to these winners. IPA PI regional winners will also receive separate cash prizes.

Submissions to IPA Philippines will open online before the end of June 2015 at www.photoawards.ph.