Uplifting and inspirational depictions of personal triumphs and milestones marked the winning entries for the 2014 Vision Petron national student art competition, which were honored in awarding ceremonies held last 10 October 2013 at the Old Senate Hall of the National Museum.

In the momentous year of Petron’s 80th Anniversary, the theme Lakbay Tagumpay—A Journey of Triumphs and Milestones echoes the corporate slogan “Fuel Success”—shining the spotlight on journeys towards personal success and the essential values of passion, determination and hard work.

Interpreting this year’s theme, student artists from all over the country submitted a record-breaking 2,000+ entries in five competition categories, namely: painting (oil/acrylic and water-based media), photography, t-shirt art design, and vide0\o-making. 

Holding the awarding ceremony at the National Museum, home of the country’s art treasures such as the magnificent Spoliarium by Juan Luna, was seen as a significant move linking a new generation of young Filipino artists to a rich, cultural heritage of Filipino masters who have made a mark in the global art scene. 

Renowned luminaries joined Petron in judging the entries, thus making this one of the most prestigious national student art competitions. In the painting category, the board of judges included national artist Abdulmari Imao as chairman, and national artist Napoleon Abueva, Danilo Dalena, Elmer Borlongan, Alfred Esquillo Jr., and Raul Isidro as members.

The photography panel is headed by Wig Tysmans, one of the country’s top portraitists and commercial photographers, along with George Tapan, Edwin Tuyay, Sonny Yabao, Ernesto Enrique, and Denise Weldon.

The t-shirt art judges were led by Raul Isidro, a respected abstract painter specializing in lithography and printmaking. With him were BG Hernandez, Jay Aldeguer, Justin Nuyda, and Ramon Cruz.

For the new video-making category, the board of judges included FAMAS hall of famer Romy Vitug, Laurice Guillen, Raymond Red, Horacio Severino, and Mary Ann Neri who joined the painting and photography categories as well.

Fittingly, the Vision Petron program is itself a winner, having garnered the 2013 Anvil Awards Hall of Fame from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), as a communications tool that has won more than five awards of excellence through the years. 

Vision Petron is a partnership between Petron Corporation and the youth, both sharing a common advocacy of preserving Philippine art and culture, values, traditions and skills. As a national student art competition, it is open to all talented students enrolled in a regular university or college course, or in tutorial art and photography classes.   It is also a venue for filmmakers, musicians, performance artists, art enthusiasts, and all Filipinos to converge and be one through their shared love for Philippine art and culture.

Petron believes that everyone has his/her own unique perspective on things and that this uniqueness can be expressed in so many different ways.  This is the inspiration behind Vision Petron — the belief that free artistic expression remains intrinsic to nation-building.