Tops ArtFest 2026 honors six painters

When student and professional painters set up their easels at the Tops ArtFest 2026 Plein-Air Painting Competition on 23 October, they all faced the same view. Yet by the time the paint dried, the shared horizon of Cebu had turned into distinct visual interpretations.

Held at The Circle, TOPS, in Busay, Cebu City, the competition was part of the four-day Tops ArtFest 2026, which ran from 22 to 25 October.

Under this year's competition theme, Perspective Play, participants were challenged to move beyond traditional landscape techniques and interpret their surroundings through personal memory, light, and form. Working outdoors, artists had to respond quickly to changing weather and daylight, testing their ability to capture a scene under time constraints.

Participants were allowed to continue working onsite overnight, with completed entries submitted by the morning of 24 October.

Winners announced across two categories

The competition recognized outstanding painters in both the Professional and Student categories, with cash prizes awarded to the top three finishers and merit awardees.

In the Professional Category, Marianne Guinto took first place for entry P-078, earning ₱50,000. Jolimar A. Delos Santos secured second place with entry P-010 and received ₱40,000, while Angelito "Jo" Florendo placed third with entry P-072, winning ₱30,000.

Three professional painters also received merit awards worth ₱15,000 each: Dale Alquino, Melbourne Paano, and Edu Perreras.

In the Student Category, Hennie Portugal claimed first place with entry S-002 and received ₱20,000. Michael Luengas Jr. placed second with entry S-055, earning ₱15,000, while Maite Alessandra Zuluaga finished third with entry S-003 and received ₱10,000.

Merit awards worth ₱5,000 each went to student artists Lowell Mejares, Therese Buencousejo, and Janna Remus.

Judge Rachel Mayo praised the quality of the student entries, describing them as "mature works that cannot be distinguished from the professionals." She added, "As artists, they have a positive future ahead."

The competition's judging panel included art critic Cid Reyes and artists Adeste Deguilmo, Romel de la Torre, Rachel Mayo, Romulo Galicano, and Fidel Malig Sarmiento.

The growing reach of outdoor painting

Plein-air painting has enjoyed a revival in the local art community, taking artists out of controlled studio environments and into direct contact with their subjects. The format demands quick decisions on composition, color relationships, and light, making it a rigorous test of artistic instincts and technical ability.

By bringing together established practitioners and emerging student talent, the competition provided an opportunity for artists at different stages of their careers to interpret the same landscape through individual approaches.

Tops ArtFest 2026 ran from 22 to 25 October under the festival-wide theme Building and Breaking Norms. The annual gathering featured exhibitions, installations, performances, and other activities celebrating Philippine art and creative expression.