Around Philippines and whenever there's
a chance to meet respectable and empowered individual, I made sure
that I'll grab the opportunity and meet them with a smile. "Today,
give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he
sees all day by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. or "People seldom notice
old clothes if you wear a big smile" from the unknown author,
these are just some of the proofs that a smile can make a difference
or a smile was the result of a good and happy experience. Filipinos
are not technically defining a smile as just a facial expression
formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouth and by
flexing muscles throughout the mouth.A smile is an expression
denoting pleasure, sociability, happiness, or amusement. Smiling from
the dictionary could be something that is understood by everyone
despite culture, race, or religion; it is internationally known.
Cross-cultural studies have shown that smiling is a means of
communication throughout the world.
The official poster
The Embassies of Chile under Ambassador
Roberto L. Mayorga
and Brazil, University of Santo Tomas,
University of the Philippines, University of Asia and the Pacific,
Ateneo University, De La Salle University, Cultural Center of the
Philippines, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and The Philippine Star have
joined together in a project called “Calidad Humana” , a project
in order to preserve and promote the traditional human compassion,
friendship and sense of humanity of the Filipino people and in order
for everyone around the globe to understand how Filipinos can still
manage to smile inspite of natural calamities and problems. With this
goal, a photo contest, “Smiles for the World” has been launched
with a first prize award of US$1000.
Ambassador of Chile Roberto L. Mayorga and me
Ambassador Mayorga welcomed me with a
smile when I reached the Chilean Embassy today, November 15, 2012 to
discuss the dissemination of information to different social media
practitioners that could give more entrants and to give awareness not
only to the Filipino people but to the world the positive outlook of
Filipinos in life and to encourage all the races to be the same in
spite of the different experiences we are facing everyday. The
project would like you to share your photo to represent the
cheerfulness of a Filipino and to address your message to the rest of
the world. Tell stories and let the rest of the world to know the
uniqueness of that smile you took.
Deadline for submission will be on
February 28, 2013 while awarding ceremonies are expected to be held
in the first week of July. The cash awards are US$ 1,000 for first
place; US$ 600 for second place; and $ 400 for third place. There
shall likewise be non-cash prizes.
Competition Rules
1. This year’s competition is open
to all Filipino citizens, regardless of age, place of residence, and
occupation.
2. There shall be only one entry per
person, submitted in soft copy to the following address:
http://projectch.com
3. An entry, to be considered, shall
comprise the following:
a. An original 8×10 photo showing
one or more Filipinos at home, in school, at work, at play, at
leisure, or in portraiture. The photography subject(s) shall be
existing persons, with the setting identifiable upon request of the
organizer. Qualifiers and winners might have to be asked to produce
13R photo size.
b. A positive, encouraging message
with no more than 140 characters (letters, numbers, and punctuation
marks) in font Arial 12 spreading the smiles in the photo to the rest
of the world.
c. A one to three-paragraph essay in
English, with no more than 200 words (excluding punctuation marks),
appropriately titled, that succinctly explains the message of the
photo. While the essay shall be in English, Filipino words or terms
may be used if deemed expedient by the author for absence of
satisfactory equivalents in English. The concept of calidad humana
(see above) should be explicit in the essay.
d. An accomplished form, see below,
that indicates:
Full Name (First, Middle, and Last),
Age (with Date-Month-Year of Birth)
Title of the Photo-Essay, Brand of
Camera Used and Technical Settings (if any)
Home Address, Land Line, Mobile Number,
and e-mail Address
Current School and/or Place of Work and
Corresponding Mailing Address
Personal Certification on the
originality of the photo
4. Deadline for submission is 28
February 2013; awarding ceremonies are expected to be held in the
first week of July.
Entries shall be the property of the
Embassy of Chile, which reserves the right to use the work, edit and
publish it as deemed appropriate, but always duly acknowledging the
author.
A panel of five (5) individuals shall
decide on the preliminary qualifiers based on the criteria below. A
final panel of five (5) judges, to be selected by the organizing
committee, shall determine the winners without regard to scores
earlier given to qualifying essays. Winners shall agree to be
interviewed on camera on matters related to the theme of the
competition
The decision of the preliminary and
final panel of judges shall be deemed final.
Without attempting to give weights to
the criteria for qualifiers and winners, the basis for judgment shall
be as follows:
Effectiveness of the photo, with the
corresponding essay, to capture the spirit behind the Filipino smile
and what it stands for;
The overall quality of the photo and
essay entry as a medium of expression, without necessarily appealing
to technical considerations, except perhaps for grammar, mechanics,
and usage in the case of the essay;
The uniqueness and impact with which
the photo and the essay convey the theme of the competition
Judging shall always be on the photo
and the essay in combination.
According to the project site “CALIDAD
HUMANA is human compassion, sense of humaneness, strength of
character, and human tone. It is unique to the world. It is expressed
through our cordiality and friendliness, our positive outlook in
life, and SMILES on our faces. “CALIDAD HUMANA, literally
translated as the quality of being human and loosely translated as
strength of character, may refer to the sum total of distinctively
human characteristics that dignify and ennoble a person and enable
him to contribute to a culture of excellence either in his immediate,
mediate, or broader environment … either in unusual or day-to-day
situations and circumstances. It is not a state a person is in but a
constant movement to attain the state of human perfection.“Calidad
humana marks the person noble in his dealings, steadfast in his
convictions, and unfaltering in his equanimity, without any
pretensions … everything that contributes in the end to LIFE WELL
SPENT. “One need not have most, or much less all, positive traits
in heroic proportions, nor would one need to be exempt from defects
of character. What is needed for calidad humana is a quality or a
cluster of qualities that steadily stands out in one’s personal and
social life, hand-in-hand with an unwavering struggle for the other
human virtues.”
Around Philippines, you will find
Filipinos with their happy smiles in spite of the hardships or
problems. We are born to be tough and to show to the world that we
could do everything and we have proofs, not only around Philippines
but we are scattered and proving our worth around the world.
Join the contest here:
http://projectch.com/
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