Frisky Pawtraits spent this year's hearts day at the awarding of the inaugural International Pet Summit Photography contest. The International Pet Summit was held last February 12-14, 2020 at the SMX Convention Center and ran concurrently with the 2020 International Farmers Summit. The awarding of the photo contest winners culminated the 3-day event. This year's theme is Furr-fect Love, and the intent is to encourage pet lovers everywhere to share photos showcasing the bond with their fur babies. There's also a keen interest to hear about the heartwarming stories behind each entry and to announce the winners on Valentine's day- deeming the contest theme fit for the occasion. All entries were judged based on the following criteria:
a. Photo composition (25%) b. Photogenic qualities (25%) c. Overall charm and appeal of the photo (25%) d. Appropriateness to the contest theme (25%) The following cash prizes and giveaways from Hill’s Science Diet were at stake:
Grand Prize Winner: Php 10,000 and 5 packs of dog food 1st Runner-up: Php 7,500 and 3 packs of dog food 2nd Runner-up: Php 5,000 and 2 packs of dog food
3rd Runner-up: Php 2,500 and 2 packs of dog food FB darling (most number of Facebook likes): Php 2,000 and 2 packs of dog food Since taking photos of adorable fur babies is Frisky Pawtraits' first love, it was a difficult task for our team to select which among the hundreds of photos we took will form part of our official entries. After much thought, we have decided to share our favorites from the Puss In Boots Cat Shelter's fostered kittens. Cats of PIB love talking about their rescue stories to a bigger community and this time around the reason is twofold: first, they want to reach a wider audience to promote responsible rescuing and fostering efforts. Second, if any of the photos of their fostered kittens win, The Cats of PIB has pledged their prize to their feeding and sterilization projects. A portion of the prize will also be donated to Animal Kingdom Foundation's continuous Taal rescue and feeding missions. Early this month, the International Farmers Summit Philippines (IFSP) committee announced via their Facebook page the 15 semi-finalists amongst the multitude of entries they have received. We are so thrilled when we found out that 3 out of the 4 photos we submitted made it to this list. We are really excited to share them again here: Nimbus
Below are some of the highlights during the awarding ceremony. Wish we had the chance to take more photos, but we got too engrossed and in such high spirits during the program proper. We got lost in the moment.
Photo exhibit showcasing all the entries which made it to the top 15
Snapping a selfie with King, The Unexpected Guest and Curious Deca right before the judging ceremony has commenced
Event venue where the awarding ceremony was held
Sharing the stage with the other semi-finalists and the panel of judges
That winning moment when it was announced that our entry for Curious Deca has won the grand prize
Deca looking modestly pleased to find out that she won
Contest Winners:
FB Darling: Chosen, submitted by Haries Francis Villa
3rd Runner-up: The Aeta's Best Friend, submitted by Emma Foronda
2nd Runner-up: Luna and her new look, submitted by Edwin Trinidad
1st Runner-up: Athena, submitted by Rhian Kristoffer Tanada
Grand Prize Winner: Curious Deca, submitted by Jaycee Pilapil
And that's a wrap! We are thrilled to have bagged the Grand Prize. But more importantly, we are over the moon that we met the other contestants and learned about how companion animals have changed their lives. Nothing floors us more than knowing how animal companionship is gaining traction, against all the odds, at the same speed as their owners are capturing cherished moments with their pets. In Frisky Pawtraits' speak, there is no greater love than this. <3