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History of the Philippine Art Awards
(By Cid Reyes, from "Rise and Rise of Philippine Art" in the book, Philippine Art Awards: A Decade Of Inspired Creativity)
There are art competitions and art competitions. Then there’s the Philip Morris Art Competition, officially known as Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards (PAA). Within a span of a decade, the PAA has established itself as the most prestigious and most-awaited art event and competition in the country. What puts PAA above the rest of the art competitions that even established artists have accepted the challenge to compete in this art arena? What so uplifts the status of the PAA that those previously unheard of, upon winning, turn into artistic luminaries overnight?
In whatever field—sports, literary, music, dance, art—there are competitions with the objective of recognizing excellence. By instinct, humans are competitive, impelled by a desire to be recognized. Thus, whether in a Roman gladiatorial combat between man and beast, or between two suitors aspiring for a beloved’s heart, man has proven himself to be the most competitive of creatures. It is said that competition may bring out the best in people. A competition is the stimulus that awakens and energizes the human will to triumph.
In 1994, the local art scene welcomed the introduction of the Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards. Organized and sponsored by the Philip Morris Group of Companies, the competition evolved from the Singapore Art Awards first held in 1993. The company chose Ayala Museum to formulate the rules of the competition and to organize it. The Ayala Museum welcomed the opportunity for Philippine artists and artworks to be exposed to the ASEAN region and considered the opportunity as a step to going global. The concept of the competition was then expanded to accommodate the ASEAN-wide painting awards program.
The ASEAN is presently comprised of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, the latest members. The early organizers of the Philippine Art Awards, Sonia Ner, former director of the Ayala Museum, and Dannie Alvarez, a cultural worker who was then connected with the advertising agency of Philip Morris, happily note that other ASEAN countries adopted the competition rules crafted in the Philippines and that their advise was sought on how to mount the regional competition.
However, after 2004, the great tsunami that affected member-nations of the ASEAN prompted the Philip Morris Group of Companies to re-align their sponsorship priorities to help the victims of the tsunami. Consequently, the ASEAN regional component of the Art Awards was discontinued.
For countries that were not affected, like the Philippines, the local subsidiaries of Philip Morris International (PMI) were given the choice whether or not to continue their respective local competitions. Thus, Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) with the unstinting support of Philip Morris International (PMI), the Philippine Art Awards remains to assure the continued ascent of Philippine art for many years to come.
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