ARTS / CULTURE
Tops ArtFest offers ₱50k painting prize
Plein-air contest in Cebu opens to student and professional artists on 23 October
Artists will have a chance to win up to ₱50,000 in a painting competition at TOPS Cebu as Tops ArtFest 2026 invites students and professionals to create original works based on the surrounding landscape.
Called Perspective Play, the plein-air competition will take place at The Circle, TOPS, on 23 October. Artists must work onsite and interpret their surroundings through styles that range from realism to figurative abstraction.
The contest is part of Tops ArtFest 2026, which runs from 22 to 25 October under the theme Building and Breaking Norms.
Two categories, separate prizes
The student category offers ₱20,000 for first place, ₱15,000 for second place and ₱10,000 for third place. Three merit award recipients will receive ₱5,000 each.
In the professional category, the first-place winner will receive ₱50,000, followed by ₱40,000 for second place and ₱30,000 for third place. Three merit award recipients will each receive ₱15,000.
Prize recipients will receive certificates, while winners will also get gift certificates from Art Caravan. Winning works will be exhibited at the festival's awards night on 25 October.
Rules and deadlines
Artists must produce their entries onsite during the competition period. Each participant may submit one original work, with the artwork measuring between 432 and 450 square inches, regardless of shape.
Students must present a valid student ID and may use oil or acrylic on canvas, watercolor or pastel. Professionals may use oil or acrylic on canvas. Group works and purely abstract pieces without figurative elements are not allowed.
Registration is scheduled for 23 October, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Artwork submissions will be accepted at Hostel Honeycomb that day from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on 24 October from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Participants may continue working onsite until the following morning, subject to the competition rules. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Artists may claim their work on 25 October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on 26 October from 8 a.m. to noon.
A wider arts festival
Tops ArtFest is presented by the Cristina Lee Dino Foundation Inc. and the Sacred Heart School for Boys Batch ’85 Foundation. The festival brings together artists and creative practitioners through exhibitions and other arts activities.
Organizers encourage interested participants to consult the festival's official announcements for the complete competition rules and requirements.