Patio tops tourism graphic arts design contest

“Taga Beach is on the south end of Tinian, within walking distance of San Jose Village…There is available parking, picnic tables, and a concrete path to get to the edge of the cliff. It’s a crystal-clear beach with beautiful coral reefs, and [is] one of Tinian’s most popular sites. In order to get down to the beach, you either climb down…or jump into the water.

This description and a well-designed graphic art layout won 10th grader Deamarie Patio first place in the 2018 Tourism Month Graphic Arts Design Contest titled “See My Marianas,” jointly held by the Marianas Visitors Authority and Marianas Tourism Education Council.

Patio and four other top winners from among CNMI students in grades 6-12 were named the winners last May 26 at the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden.

“I tried to capture the essence of Taga Beach’s natural beauty in this piece. It’s one of the most popular beaches and tourist attractions on the island,” said Patio. “I specifically chose Taga Beach because it is my favorite beach. Jumping down from the rocks and into the water gives you a never-ending adrenaline rush and you’ll just want to keep going again. The water’s clear, the sand is soft.”

Other winners were 7th grader Mary-Grace Caras on Suicide Cliff; second place; 10th grader Angela Barbo on Banzai Cliff, third place; Angel Lagunay on House of Taga, fourth place; and 7th grader Chareena Layugan on Puttan Laggua, fifth place.

Submissions were required to be an original digital design with the words “See My Marianas” featuring a site/location in the Marianas that the artist would encourage people to visit. Entries include the name of the site/location, and brief 1-4 sentence description of the site, and the following: www.mymarianas,com and icons of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Prizes were $300 cash first place, $200 cash for second place, $100 cash for third place, and $50 cash each for fourth and fifth place.

“On behalf of our MTEC board, we extend our congratulations to the winners, and we commend all the students who put their creative design skill to work for this contest,” said MTEC chair Vicky Benavente. “Imagery is a vital part of promotions, and we encourage all of you to keep developing your skills and keep promoting The Marianas with your talent.”

MTEC board members Larry Lee, Glenn Policare, and Catherine Perry and MVA Community Projects assistant Demalyn Pagarao assisted with contest coordination and judging. (MVA)