ZAMBOANGA City — Dancers competing in this year’s Fiesta Hermosa Street Dance Competition will have more at stake, with the grand prize tripled to ₱1 million.
The Zamboanga City government raised the top prize from ₱300,000 to attract more competitive dance groups from Mindanao and other parts of the country.
The ₱1-million prize will be awarded in both the Hermosa-Based and Open categories.
Second-place winners will receive ₱700,000, while third-place finishers will take home ₱500,000. Each category will also have a ₱100,000 consolation prize.
Special awards include ₱50,000 each for Best in Costume and Best in Musicality, while the Festival Queen will receive ₱20,000.
Assistant City Administrator Christian Olasiman announced the new prize structure during an orientation for choreographers and team representatives at City Hall on Monday, Sept. 21.
The street dance competition will be held on the afternoon of Oct. 11, a day before the Feast of Nuestra Señora la Virgen del Pilar.
Contingents will gather at Zamboanga Central School in San Jose before proceeding to the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex in Barangay Baliwasan for the final competition.
The city said non-Zamboanga contingents joining the Open Category must submit their accommodation reservations by Sept. 25.
As of Monday, 16 contingents had registered.
The Hermosa-Based Category includes Cabaluay National High School, Zamboanga City High School–Main, Universidad de Zamboanga, Zamboanga National High School–West and Talon-Talon National High School.
The Open Category includes Mindanao Autonomous College Foundation of Lamitan City, Basilan; Maria Clara Lorenzo Lobregat National High School; Culianan National High School; Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University; Sibuco National High School of Zamboanga del Norte; El Orgullo Hermosa Performing Arts; Barangay Vitali; and the Municipality of Siasi, Sulu.
