Novartis, WHD partners announce 'Picture of Health' contest winners

MANILA, Philippines - Novartis Healthcare Phils. and its World Hypertension Day (WHD) partners have formally announced the winners of the “Picture of Health: Healthy Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar” photo contest.

Arturo de Vera, Jr. bagged the top prize with his panoramic photo showing two elderly women doing stretching exercises against a backdrop of clouds in an azure blue sky.

Second-prize winner Edwin Forsuelo’s photo of a cyclist on a racing bicycle showcases good use of light and shadow. Third-prize winner Eleanor Cabiltes Paraan snapped a photo of a bicycle rider passing a building and captured an eye-catching interplay between background and symmetry.

The top three winners will receive P30,000, P15,000 and P10,000 in cash prizes, respectively, in an awarding ceremony scheduled shortly.

“Picture of Health” was launched last May 17 as part of this year’s WHD commemoration.

The annual WHD celebration in the Philippines is an initiative of Novartis Healthcare Phils. and the Philippine Society of Hypertension (PSH) in collaboration with the Philippine Heart Association (PHA), Philippine Society of Nephrology (PSN), Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (PSEM) and the Department of Health (DOH).

The photo contest aimed to increase public awareness on preventing and controlling hypertension and diabetes mellitus through regular physical activity.

From a total of 240 photo entries, the panel of judges short-listed 32 entries based on creativity (25 percent), composition/overall impact (25 percent), relevance (25 percent) and photo caption (25 percent).

The panel pared down the number of entries to 10 and, after a lengthy deliberation, selected the top three entries.

The panel of judges was composed of PSH president Dr. Dante Morales; PHA president Dr. Isabelo Ongtengco Jr.; PSN president Dr. Delia Bayog; PSEM president Dr. Gabriel Jasul Jr.; Precy Cuevas, DOH chief health information officer; professional photographer Mandy Navasero; Dr. Francis Domingo, chief scientific officer, Novartis Phils.; and Thomas Nie, director for corporate brand management, Novartis International AG.