Judy Ann Santos, Laurice Guillen among 32 recipients of 18th Ani ng Dangal award

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

MANILA, Philippines — Thitry-two individuals were bestowed with the Harvest of Honor at the recently concluded 18th Ani ng Dangal awards to close National Arts Month last February.

Held last February 28 at the Metropolitan Theater Ballroom, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) honored Filipino individuals and groups who excelled in their respective artistic fields internationally.

The Harvest of Honor or Ani ng Dangal trophy conceptualized by National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao is a stylized sarimanok to represent the Filipino artist's achievements on the global stage.

The honor's logo, a stylized rice stalk, refers to the rice harvest as metaphor for an art harvest: a product of the creative process that expresses the dreams, aspiration, and ideals of the Filipino artist.

Seven grains in the stalk represent the seven arts while bright colors evoke the festive mood of National Arts Month.

"Ang tapang na iharap ang ating wika, ang ating imahen, ang ating kasaysayan, ang ating mga kuwento sa entablado ng mundo," said NCCA Chair and Executive Director Eric B. Zerrudo. "Ang paninindigan na nagsasabing ang Filipino na may sariling tinig, may dangal at may sariling henyo."

Also present at the ceremony to hand out the awards were First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and NCCA Commissioner for the Arts Lordinio Vegara.

Related: Gab Pangilinan as Mary Magdalene leads 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Manila run cast

Winners

Primary among the recipients were in the field of Cinema, namely actresses Judy Ann Santos and Laurice Guillen.

Judy Ann won Best Actress at the 45th Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal last year for "Espantaho" while Laurice won the same award at India's Ahmedabad International Film Festival for "Guardia de Honor."

The last receipient in their field was Laurice's director Jay Altarejos, who won the Best Director award for Foreign Feature Film in the same festival.

Laurice delivered the acceptance speech on behalf of all the recipients, emphasizing how art is a personal journey shaped by passion, struggles, mentorship, and authentic self-expression rather than a carefully planned career path.

"While we are here to celebrate the accolades we have received, I believe the true value of this occasion lies in sharing our individual struggles, our unique journeys and the philosophies we hold dear," she added.

Two artists were honored in the fields of Visuals Arts and Design respectively: Christopher G. Andres and Gina Custodio Meneses in the former and Chad Gabrielle Tanutan and Ivan Cedric Fabia in the latter.

Andres won First Place in the 2023 FIBA Photo Contest while Meneses won the Global 50/50 "This is Gender: Gender and Disability" Photo Contest 2025.

Tanutan was named Top Designer in the Men's Shoe Individual Category at the 13th International Footwear Design Competition of the Confederation of International Footwear Associations while Fabia was recognized as Top Designer in the Lady's Boot Individual Category at the same competition.

Related: Feng Shui artist ushers in Year of the Fire Horse with solo exhibit

That was on top of being the Overall Winner of the Design-a-Bag Competition 2024 and First Prize Winner in the Fresh Facets Category of the Singapore Jewelry Design Awards.

John Bengan, Roehl Joseph Dazo, Christian Jil R. Benitez, and Alvin B. Yapan were all recognized in the field of Literary Arts as winning translators and writer under PEN Presents x International Booker Prize.

Joining them was Merlie M. Alunan, recipient of the 2025 International Writers Award from the Royal Society of Literature.

The last honorees were in the field of Dance (seven recipients) and Music (eight recipients):

• Dance
  • Legit Status - World Champion in the MegaCrew Division of the World Hip Hop Dance Championship
  • Choreo 'N Cream - World Champion in the Open Division of World Supremacy Battlegrounds
  • Folks Jumpers  - Adult Division champions at the World Dance Crew Championship 2025
  • Makiling Dance of the Philippine High School for the Arts - Overall Grand Champion at the Asia Pacific Arts Festival
  • Cavite Indayog Cultural Dance Troupe - Gold Prize in the Folk Dance Adult Formation category at WDF 2025 under the Korea Dance Organization
  • Ric Russell Matawa Abao and Axel Rose Canama Paypa - gold medalists at the Negeri Sembilan International Dancesport Championship
  • Jeff Keffier C. Evangelio - International Champion title in the Solo Division of the Champions Tour International Street Dance Festival
• Music
  • University of Santo Tomas Singers - Grand Prize and Oak Tree of Derry Trophy winner at the City of Derry International Choir Festival
  • Philippine Meistersingers - Rimini Grand Prix winner at the 18th Rimini International Choral Competition
  • Sola Gratia Chorale - 4th Asia Choral Grand Prix Champion
  • Eastern Chamber Singers and Far Eastern University Chorale - 2025 Asia Choral Grand Prix finalists at the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival
  • Ian Gabriel Corpuz - winner of the 11th Annual Composer's Competition of Chorus Austin for his composition "Laudate Dominum"
  • Fabian Obispo - Outstanding Sound Design Award winner at the 2025 Lucille Lortel Awards
  • Michelle Mariposa - Grand Final Winner of the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition

RELATED: Jose Rizal's 'Noli Me Tangere' to get Arabic translation versions