1st Place winner
The Mud People Festival in Nueva Ecija
DESCRIPTION
The photo depicts the celebration of Mud People Festival in Nueva Ecija, Philippines on June 24, 2018. Devotees wear dried banana leaves and cover themselves with mud then offer a prayer or pay homage to Saint John the Baptist. According to a local legend, the Japanese soldiers were about to execute the villagers of Aliaga during World War II. But in the midst of downpour, Japanese soldiers suddenly changed their minds. Afterwards, the villagers celebrated by rolling around the muddy ground. There´s a belief that being saved from the execution is a miracle of Saint John the Baptist. AUTHOR
Mr. Jophel Botero Ybiosa is a world-class Filipino artist with 360 local and international awards and a 9-time NCCA Ani ng Dangal Awardee for Visual Arts. He’s the Founder the Team Juan Makasining and works as a Master Photographer/Platinum Artist of Princess Cruise Lines and a Host of The Global Photo Show (Global TV Network). He´s an Outstanding Alumnus for Arts and Culture-Culiat High School, a Notable Alumni Awardee for Visual Arts of PUP – College of Communication, a member of Federation of Philippine Photographers’ Foundation (FPPF), and a member of Society of International Travel and Tourism Photographers (United Kingdom). Some of his historic achievements are the following: First Filipino to win a Gold Award in New York Photo Fair, First Filipino to win a Gold Award in Budapest International Foto Awards, First Filipino to win Events Photographer of the Year and included in the Best of Show Exhibition of Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA), First Filipino to win 1st Prize in the Photographic Angle International Photography Competition, One of the first Filipino Gold Medalists in the World Art Camp Olympiad, First Filipino to win a Grand Prize in ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition and Two-time Best Photograph in Global Festival Photography Competition (Indonesia). 