SERDEF clarifies photo-essay contest rules; reiterates Oct. 19 deadline

photo essay 2

In answer to inquiries about its ongoing “The Small is Beautiful Photo-Essay Competition,” SERDEF recently issued several clarifications on rules governing the tilt.

According to Myrna R. Co, head of the SERDEF Media Bureau and coordinator of the contest, businesses qualified to be written up can be of any form – sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and cooperatives.

Even very small, informal businesses can be written about, including street entrepreneurs, market vendors, sari-sari store operators, carinderia owners, door-to-door sellers, vendors of street food, repairmen (of appliances, watches, shoes and bags), those who sell fruits, vegetables, fish and other commodities in carts, food cart and mobile store operators, and many more.

Mrs. Co added that photos to be submitted should be original; that is, they should be pictures taken by the contestants themselves.

Contestants have until October 19 to submit their entries.

The photography and writing tilt invites the youth, 12 to 22 years old, to submit  photo collages, with text and captions, depicting micro or small-scale entrepreneurship and showing the creativity with which small entrepreneurs are capable of.

Prizes at stake are: a first prize of P25,000 and four runner-up prizes of P10,000 each.

The following are details of the contest:

Description of entries (what are to be submitted)  

  1. In jpg format,  three (3) to five (5) high-resolution photos, colored or black and white, of a small business (or a number of small businesses).  The photos may depict any or all of the following: product/s, processes (how the product is produced), marketing (how it is promoted and sold), applications (how it is used), people behind the business (owner/manager/employees in action); and other interesting aspects of the business.
  2. In MS word format, an essay of 150 to 400 words, in English or Filipino,  telling a story about the small enterprise.  The story should underscore the creativity and important contributions of the specific enterprise photographed and/or of small businesses in general.  Alternatively, captions may be used instead of a straight essay to tell the story.
  3. In MS word format, a document where photos and text are integrated, that is, where images are imbedded in the text and attractively laid out.
  4. An information sheet about the contestant (name, age,  date of birth, place of birth, mailing address, school, telephone number, e-mail address)

(Note: An entry may be a collaboration between two individuals.)

Rules

  • Contestants are requested to visit the SERDEF website at www.serdef.org — so that they may read up on small enterprise development — and to visit and “like” its  Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/serdefoundation.
  • Entries should be emailed to [email protected]  before midnight of October 19, 2015.
  • It is understood that entries (text and photos) submitted can be used by the SERDEF for its small-business advocacy activities.
  • The decision of the board of judges shall be final.

Criteria for judging

  • Quality of pictures – The images will be evaluated in terms of composition, sharpness/contrast, use of lighting etc. and relevance to the topic.
  • Quality of text – The essay or captions will be judged according to how well the importance of the small enterprise has been put across.  It should be written in an interesting and readable way.
  • Overall impact, text and photo layout, and synchronicity (connectedness) between the photos and the story/caption.

For purposes of the contest, a small business is a manufacturing, trading (selling) or service enterprise with less than 50 employees. For inquiries, call up Tel. 355-5348,  text  0921 457 6996, or email [email protected].