The Department of Science and Technology – Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) has officially opened the fourth edition of its Gawad Alunig x Dalumat (GAxD) competition, inviting the Filipino public to showcase the compelling stories behind homegrown technologies through creative advertising and visual storytelling.
This year’s revamped campaign, titled “Empowering Innovation Stories through Creative Advertising,” shifts from science citizen journalism to a dynamic visual format. The initiative aims to harness the power of short-form videos and photo essays to make local innovations more relatable and accessible to a broader audience.
“The campaign is designed not only to promote but also to trace and locate technologies already in the field,” the guidelines state. By leveraging visually engaging content, DOST-TAPI seeks to build a fresh network of innovators and connect qualified Filipino tech-based businesses with its programs and services.
Two Categories for Creative Expression
The competition features two distinct categories:
- Gawad Alunig (Audio-Visual Category): This category challenges participants to create compelling short-form video advertisements (1.5 to 3.5 minutes long) that popularize Filipino technologies. The goal is to produce a resonating impact—an alunig—that inspires communities to support local ingenuity.
- Gawad Dalumat (Photo Essay Feature Category): This category offers a platform for participants to leverage still images and words. Entrants must submit a series of photographs with captions that tell a profound story (dalumat) and provide a deep dive into a technology’s unique value proposition.
The featured topic for all entries must be “Local Innovations,” including research outputs or inventions from academia, start-ups, or private inventors that are being developed within the local community. Entries featuring technologies from well-established commercial brands or those previously assisted by DOST-TAPI from 2023-2025 are disqualified.
Eligibility and Prizes
The contest is open to teams of up to three members, all of whom must be Filipino citizens, at least 18 years old, and currently residing in the Philippines. DOST-TAPI personnel and their relatives up to the fourth degree are prohibited from joining.
A total prize pool of PHP 400,000 is at stake. The winners for each category will receive the following:
- Gawad Alunig (Video):
- Winner: PHP 75,000
- 1st Runner-up: PHP 50,000
- Three (3) Honorable Mentions: PHP 25,000 each
- People’s Choice Award: PHP 20,000
- Gawad Dalumat (Photo Essay):
- Winner: PHP 60,000
- Two (2) Runners-up: PHP 25,000 each
- Three (3) Best Innovation Stories: PHP 20,000 each
- People’s Choice Award: PHP 10,000
All finalists will receive medals and certificates, while shortlisted teams will get an electronic Certificate of Participation.
Key Mechanics and Deadlines
Participants must ensure their entries are original and have secured proper authorization from the technology owners to feature their innovations. Strict rules on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are in place: for videos, AI use must be fully disclosed, while for photo essays, AI enhancement or manipulation is entirely prohibited.
The deadline for submission of all entries is on November 24, 2025, at 11:59 PM.
For more detailed information, including the full list of entry requirements, technical specifications, and judging criteria, interested participants are encouraged to visit the official DOST-TAPI website at www.tapi.dost.gov.ph. They may also email impakt.tipd@tapi.dost.gov.ph, call (02) 8582 1450 loc. 2167, or follow DOST-TAPI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DOST.TAPI.
The complete official guidelines for the contest can be accessed at: bit.ly/GAxD2025Guidelines.#
