The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) on Tuesday, 23 September, announced the 24 grand winners of its 2025 Photography Contest in an awards ceremony held at its corporate office in Pasay City.

With the theme “Infrastructure for Economic Development”, this year’s nationwide competition attracted nearly 4,000 entries from amateur and professional photographers across the country. The theme highlighted the pivotal role of infrastructure as lifelines of progress that fuel industries, connect communities, and open doors to opportunities.

Eight winners in the Conventional Category each received P100,000, while 16 winners from the Mobile and Drone categories were awarded P50,000 each. Consolation prize winners in the Conventional Category took home P35,000, while finalists in the Mobile and Drone categories received P20,000 each.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco lauded the winners, saying the contest continues to showcase the world-class talent of Filipino photographers.

“Your extraordinary talent shows us that Filipino creativity is world-class,” Tengco said. “While PAGCOR’s primary duty is regulation, revenue generation, and tourism promotion, we are equally proud of advocacies like this that nurture talent and give Filipinos the platform they deserve.”

He added that the theme of this year’s contest underscores the broader impact of infrastructure. “Infrastructure is not just concrete and steel, but lifelines of progress that connect families, fuel industries, and open doors to opportunities,” Tengco noted.

Category winners

This year’s Conventional Category winners were Maxwell John Bongo (Harvesting Sunshine: Powering Progress), Jerson Flores (Cascading Flow), Victor Kintanar (Link), Zaldy Asama Jr. (Signal Beneath: Unveiling the Birth of Metro Manila's First Subway), Rolando Entero Jr. (Bridge Bathed in Gold), Rey Johnino Carinugan (Highway to Your Heart), Emman Foronda (The Dual Purpose of Madongan Dam: Farming and Fun), and Janice Tadoyo (Currents of Progress).

Mobile Category winners included Fausto Francis Baraga (Starry Bridge), Mark Louis Balmores (Subway in the Metro), Jose Kent Punay (Shaped by the Sea, Built for the Skies), Christian Paolo Flores (The Iconic Biliran Bridge), Celbert Palaganas (Pillars of Promise), Henzon Estrada (Power from the Wind, Strength from the People), Tiffany Joyce Acod (A Solitary Windmill Above the Restless Sea), and Jenelle Justalero (Bridging Light and Land).

In the Drone Category, the winners were Reu Dawner Flores (The Height of Progress), Anthony Into (Where Nature Embraces Progress), Roi Anwar Abarintos (Suspended in Stillness), Jayson Gorme (Earthworks), Noel Eusebio (Solar Panel Cleaning Time), Marlo Demo-os (Flow of Progress), Aljon Tugaoen (Lighting Up the Future), and Rayzamae Vasquez (Tulay-Tulong).

Repeat winners

Several winners have been recognized in previous editions of the contest. Among them were Janice Tadoyo, Conventional Category grand winner in 2024 for “Danggit Fishing,” who again won top honors this year; and Marlo Demo-os, last year’s Drone Category grand winner for “Subsistence Fishing,” who also bagged a prize in 2025.

Other repeat winners include Celbert Palaganas, Mobile Category winner in 2023 for “Remnants of the Golden Past,” and Anthony Into, 2023 Mobile winner for “Green Dots of Hope,” who triumphed this year in the Drone Category.

Looking ahead, Tengco revealed that the 2026 contest will carry the theme “Kids@Play”, which will highlight unfiltered moments of children at play and how these simple activities shape discipline, persistence, sportsmanship, and resilience.