Nikon Photo Competition in Illustrado’s Women of Substance 2011

1st March 2011 – Dubai, UAE – Following last year’s success, Illustrado’s Women of Substance 2011 is bringing back the Nikon Photography Competition with a new theme – “The Empowered Filipina.” Finalists’ works will be showcased at the Nikon Photo Exhibit during the annual elegant coffee-afternoon event which honors exemplary Filipinas and promotes female empowerment.

Spearheaded by Illustrado, the Dubai-based Filipino lifestyle publication, the Nikon Photography Competition is calling for photo enthusiasts around the Gulf to submit their entries essentially portraying the different facets of the empowered Filipina. According to Lalaine Chu-Benitez, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Illustrado, “The amount of interest that we gathered from last year’s photo exhibit during Women of Substance 2010 has inspired us to continue contributing to the upliftment of the Filipina international image, as captured by the lenses of photography aficionados in the region.”

She furthers, “We are returning this year with a more challenging concept ‘The Empowered Filipina,’ which we believe will be a vehicle to highlight not only the outer, but also the inner beauty of the Filipina, her strength of character, resilience and will to succeed and contribute not only to the Filipino community, but to society as a whole.”’

Aside from the said photo exhibit that gained participation from the sizeable Filipino photo hobbyist community in the Gulf, Women of Substance is back on its fourth consecutive edition with amazing array of segments – from the talk show featuring Filipina achievers and a renowned guest speaker from the Philippines, the make-over runway show, to the bazaar slated to delight the over selected 600 guests, the event promises to be both meaningful and momentous.

The event will also witness the screening of a mini-documentary, a sequel to “The Empowered Filipina,” by Dubai-based award-winning filmmaker Kamil Roxas.

Interested photography aficionados can submit three images of Filipinas from all walks of life which embody ‘female empowerment.’ Images should be at least 300dpi and should be emailed to [email protected]. The contest is open to all nationalities from all photography levels, strictly based in the Gulf.  Furthermore, heavy digital layering and editing are prohibited. Only the twenty best entries will make it to the Nikon Photo Exhibit during the event which will be viewed by over 600 attendees from the Filipino and international expat community.  Finalists’ photos will be published in Illustrado’s April 2011 issue.  The top winners will receive prizes from Nikon. Deadline for submissions is on the 17^th March 2011.

Women of Substance event is celebrated in the Gulf in conjunction with International Women’s Day. For more information, please contact Illustrado at 04-3654547 / 04-3654543.

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About Women of Substance

Illustrado’s Women of Substance is an advocacy in conjunction with International Women’s Day. It is a celebration of Filipina empowerment, achievement and contribution aiming to provide inspiration to boost the morale of the Filipino community, and to be a reflection of the positive and balanced international image of the Filipina.

Every year, Illustrado presents Filipina honorees from the Gulf who exemplify achievement, societal contribution and exceptional character.

For inquiries on the Women of Substance Event, please contact Johanna Dalocanog at +971 4 365 4543 or 365 4547, or e-mail [email protected]

For general inquiries on Illustrado contact the above numbers or e-mail us at: [email protected]