A single place can hold countless stories, depending on who is looking. This October, Tops ArtFest 2026 invites student and professional artists to discover and express those stories through PERSPECTIVE PLAY, its 2026 Plein-Air Painting Competition.
Plein-air painting, the practice of creating artwork outdoors while engaging directly with the surrounding environment, encourages artists to look beyond what is immediately visible. Through PERSPECTIVE PLAY, participants are challenged to explore the relationship between observation, imagination, and interpretation, transforming the familiar landscape of TOPS into individual expressions of creativity.
Artists are invited to step outside the studio, engage with their surroundings, and translate their unique perspectives onto canvas or paper. The competition welcomes a range of styles, from realism to figurative abstraction, provided that identifiable figurative or representational elements are present.
The competition will take place at The Circle, TOPS, on October 23, 2026, with registration from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Participants may continue painting onsite until the following morning, subject to competition guidelines. Completed artworks must be submitted at Hostel Honeycomb during the designated submission periods on October 23 and 24.
The competition is open to both student and professional artists, with separate categories and medium requirements for each. Students may work in oil or acrylic on canvas, watercolor, or pastel, while professional participants are limited to oil or acrylic on canvas. All entries must be original works created onsite during the competition period. Purely abstract, non-figurative works, digital prints, mixed media, and other specified non-accepted formats will not be eligible.
Recognizing artistic excellence
The competition offers substantial cash prizes across both categories.
In the Student Category, the first-prize winner will receive ₱20,000, followed by ₱15,000 for second place and ₱10,000 for third place. Three Merit Awards of ₱5,000 each will also be presented.
In the Professional Category, the first-prize winner will receive ₱50,000, followed by ₱40,000 for second place and ₱30,000 for third place. Three Merit Awards of ₱15,000 each will also be awarded.
All prize recipients will receive certificates, while winners will also receive gift certificates from Art Caravan. Winning artworks will be exhibited during the Tops ArtFest 2026 Awards Night on October 25, providing audiences an opportunity to appreciate the artists’ interpretations of the theme.
Art that invites a different way of seeing
Presented by the Cristina Lee Dino Foundation Inc. and the Sacred Heart School for Boys Batch ’85 Foundation, Tops ArtFest 2026 carries the theme Building and Breaking Norms, celebrating artistic expression that challenges conventions, opens new conversations, and encourages audiences to see the world differently.
Within this larger celebration, PERSPECTIVE PLAY offers artists an opportunity to engage with place as both subject and inspiration. By working directly within the landscape of TOPS, participants are encouraged to explore how individual experiences, choices, and ways of seeing can transform a shared environment into distinctly personal works of art.
Artists must register onsite, present a valid student ID when entering the Student Category, and comply with the prescribed artwork dimensions and submission deadlines. Late submissions will not be accepted. Entry claiming is scheduled for October 25, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and October 26, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
For complete competition guidelines and requirements, interested participants are encouraged to refer to the official Tops ArtFest 2026 announcements.
Tops ArtFest 2026: Building and Breaking Norms runs from October 22 to 25, 2026, at TOPS, Cebu in partnership with Junyee, Nune Alvarado, TOPS, Montebello Hotel Cebu, Hostel Honeycomb, 2TinCans Philippines, Tops Media Center (TMC 105.1 FM), and Art+ Magazine.
Artists are invited to bring their materials, find their place in the landscape, and show the world as they see it. At PERSPECTIVE PLAY, every point of view becomes an opportunity to create.
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