Tops ArtFest 2026 Plein-Air Painting Competition: ₱50,000 Top Prize, 26 Hours, No Entry Fee

Painters entering PERSPECTIVE PLAY get one location and 26 hours. The clock at the Tops ArtFest 2026 plein-air painting competition starts at 8:00 AM on Friday, October 23, and stops at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 24. Every artwork has to be painted at TOPS, the hilltop complex above Cebu City, inside that window.

Plein-air means painting outdoors, in front of the subject, instead of from a photo or from memory. The professional category pays ₱50,000 to its first-place winner, and there is no registration fee.

An older man in a cap and a bright jersey raises a hand toward a painting of two women and a toddler on a stone-paved plaza in front of a wooden structure. — A painter reaches toward a canvas of a woman leading a toddler across a paved plaza. Photo courtesy of Tops ArtFest.

A Mountaintop Studio

TOPS sits on Mt. Busay in Cebu City, about 600 meters (roughly 2,000 feet) up, and its main draw is the view: the city below, Mactan Island and the sea beyond. I had dinner there in 2023, before the complex was renovated and reopened in 2024. The competition is based at The Circle, the complex’s events space.

The theme text asks artists to reimagine familiar views, moments, and experiences at TOPS, and to look for unexpected angles and overlooked details. That is a fair request when the obvious subject is a skyline visitors photograph all day.

Two young men in white shirts stand on a railed balcony strung with colorful bunting, one beside an easel and paint palette, with green hills behind them. — Two painters smile from a railed terrace strung with bunting, forested hills behind them. Photo courtesy of Tops ArtFest.

A woman seated against a stone wall paints on a small board, with brushes, paint cups and a phone propped nearby. — A painter works at a small table against a stone wall, brushes and paint cups within reach. Photo courtesy of Tops ArtFest.

The Rules That Shape the Painting

All styles from realism to figurative abstraction are welcome, as long as recognizable figurative or representational elements are present. Purely abstract, non-figurative work is not eligible.

Professionals are limited to oil or acrylic on canvas. Students can also use watercolor or pastel (soft, oil, or chalk). Assemblages, mixed media, collage, bas-relief, sculpture, tarpaulin, and digital prints are not allowed.

Size is set by area, not by shape. The total canvas or paper must measure 432 to 450 square inches, and staff will measure it at registration. A standard 18-by-24-inch canvas comes to exactly 432, the bottom of the range.

Entries must be unsigned and undated. Each artist gets one entry in one category, and collaborative works are not accepted. A grid may serve as a compositional guide, but not for studio-style copying or image transfer. Photos of the scene are allowed as reference, especially in case of rain or changing weather.

A man in a cap paints at an easel outdoors, holding a phone beside a canvas showing a curved building among trees. — A painter holds a phone beside his canvas of a curved building framed by trees. Photo courtesy of Tops ArtFest.

The Prizes

Professional Category

First place: ₱50,000
Second place: ₱40,000
Third place: ₱30,000
Three Merit Awards: ₱15,000 each

Student Category

First place: ₱20,000
Second place: ₱15,000
Third place: ₱10,000
Three Merit Awards: ₱5,000 each

Every prize recipient gets a certificate, and winners also receive gift certificates from Art Caravan. Winning works will be exhibited at the Tops ArtFest 2026 Awards Night on October 25. For comparison, the grand prize at the 2017 Don Papa Art Competition included a four-week artistic stay in Florence, Italy.

Several people stand behind easels holding paintings in a gallery with framed works on the walls. — Artists hold up their paintings on easels in a gallery space. Photo courtesy of Tops ArtFest.

The Festival Around It

PERSPECTIVE PLAY is one event inside Tops ArtFest 2026, which runs October 22 to 25 at TOPS. It is the festival’s third edition, with more than 300 artists expected, up from over 200 artists and 24 exhibitors at the first run in 2024. This year’s theme is Building and Breaking Norms, and the festival is presented by the Cristina Lee Dino Foundation Inc. and the Sacred Heart School for Boys Batch ’85 Foundation.

A man in a cap looks at rows of paintings on white easels on a terrace with trees behind. — A visitor studies a display of paintings on white easels, several showing views of TOPS. Photo courtesy of Tops ArtFest.

Partners include Junyee, Nune Alvarado, TOPS, Montebello Hotel Cebu, Hostel Honeycomb, 2TinCans Philippines, Tops Media Center (TMC 105.1 FM), and Art+ Magazine.

Competition Details

Competition window: Friday, October 23, 2026, 8:00 AM to Saturday, October 24, 2026, 10:00 AM. All artworks must be painted within the TOPS Complex during this period.
Where: The Circle, TOPS, Cebu City. No public transport runs up to the viewpoint, so most visitors go by taxi, private vehicle, or tour.
Registration: Friday, October 23 only, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, onsite. No registration is accepted outside these hours, and none on Saturday.
Fee: No registration fee. Participants pay only the regular entrance fee to the TOPS Complex.
Categories: Student and Professional. Each participant can join one category only. Student entrants must present a valid student ID.
Submission: Completed works go to Hostel Honeycomb during the designated submission periods on October 23 and 24. The Saturday window is for submissions only. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Awards Night: October 25, 2026.
Entry claiming: October 25, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and October 26, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Full guidelines: See the official Tops ArtFest 2026 announcements.