Blog the Labfest, win a prize! 2010 edition

Okay, here we go again. I had thought I wouldn't be able to hold a blog contest this year since I lacked good prizes--until the universe worked its usual magic and I ended up with a good enough trove at the last minute. Actually, they're way bigger prizes compared to what I had offered in the last three years, so--hey, sali na, will ya?

But first--it's been only a couple of hours since the close of the first day of the Labfest; the inaugural troika of plays we saw (Isagani by Alex Dorola Yasuda, directed by Vince Tanada; Balunbalunan, Bingi-bingihan by Debbie Ann Tan, directed by Issa Lopez; and Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo sa Philcoa Oberpas by Carlo Garcia, directed by Riki Benedicto) were all interesting productions, done with energy and commitment if not always with depth or clarifying insight.

I just had to tweet afterwards, because she deserved it: “the first revelation of labfest 6: missy maramara in debbie tan's balunbalunan. what a fierce, brave, generous performance. bravo.” May her standout work be followed by many more in the next few days.

Okay, that out of the way, time for the contest. Near-verbatim, from last year's announcement:

The rules
1. Watch any or all of the plays featured in Virgin Labfest 6 and blog about them--in whatever way you choose. There are 6 main sets. You may write about only one set, or all of them; whether in English or Filipino, I don't particularly mind. No editorial input from me; your honest opinion is what counts. And though I'd be delighted to read one, I'm not expecting a formal review. Don't give us a treatise; your clear and concise thoughts about what your saw would suffice.

2. Once your entry is up, leave a comment/link here or e-mail your entry to gibbs_c@yahoo.com, with “Virgin Labfest 6” as subject. For Multiply users, leave a comment/link in my Multiply site.

3. The entries will be winnowed down to the Top Five. I may ask two other people to help me read all the entries.

4. The contest runs June 22-July 4, or the entire run of the Labfest. Winners will be announced on or before July 7, through e-mail and an entry here.

The prizes

First prize: A festival pass to the 2010 Cinemalaya Film Festival. The people behind Cinemalaya have generously offered a full festival pass as first prize for this contest. The pass will give its bearer free access to all the main film competition screenings, exhibition screenings and other related activities (open forums, congress, meet-and-greet photo ops, awards night) for the duration of the festival. The pass, given only to a select few, will bear the winner's name and is not transferable. Once I announce the winner on July 7, his or her name will be forwarded to the Cinemalaya committee. The festival pass can be picked up at the CCP on Cinemalaya opening day on July 9.

Second prize: One limited-edition Cory Aquino Swatch watch, designed by Jaime Zobel de Ayala. It's brand-new, unopened, still in its plastic case, and comes with a “warranty,” if you will, from its esteemed designer--the little story about how I came to possess one of the few pieces made of these watches, and why I'm now offering it as a prize here. (That story--and pic of the actual watch--next entry, pramis.) Even if you didn't vote for President Noynoy, you'd want to keep this as a special commemorative item.

Third prize: A loot bag of premium men's grooming essentials consisting of three Kerastase hair products (anti-dandruff treatment, anti-oiliness treatment and densifying treatment) and two L'Oreal products (White Activ oil control foam and moisturizing gel cream). If you're a girl, win this for your father, brother, boyfriend or male best friend.

Fourth prize: A gift set from global hair-care brand Schwarzkopf consisting of four products (light cleansing shampoo, texturising mud, extreme hold hairspray and styling cream) housed in special decorative box. Again, if you're not into hair-care products, win this prize for someone close to you who is.

Fifth prize: A notebook set from Filipinas Heritage Library, plus a CD of Highlights from Cats. The notebooks (one big, one small) come in a Maranao-pattern cover. The CD, meanwhile, would be a good introduction to the splashy Lloyd Webber musical that will hit Manila this July, starring Lea Salonga as Grizabella.

Okay, that's it. Please help me inform everyone about Virgin Labfest 6 and this contest by reposting in your blogs and/or mentioning in your Facebook and Twitter. The Labfest show schedules here. See you at the CCP!

[Photo of Cory Swatch watch from AllPhilippines.com]