“I hope this competition becomes an eye-opener particularly to the participants and the wider art community on the opportunities that NFT brings to artists around the world,” says Arias, referring to non-fungible tokens, which are unique digital items secured by blockchain technology and can be in the form of digital art, music, or even collectibles. Basically anything that can be stored digitally can be made into NFTs, allowing the creators to prove they created the digital item, and the owners to prove that what they own is unique and authentic. NFTs’ popularity went fever pitch when the digital artist Beeple sold “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days,” a collection of all of his work up to that point in his career, at Christie’s, the legendary auction house in New York, for $69 million.

Jowee Alviar, creative director and co-founder of Team Manila Graphic Design Studio, says there are practical reasons for artists and designers to be in the NFT space. “Many creatives lost their source of income last year because of the pandemic. Many artists are finding new collectors of their work through the NFT marketplace and community. In turn, they have offset their losses from last year and are now earning from selling NFT art. We hope this success multiplies in the coming months,” Alviar said in an interview with BitPinas crypto news publication.

#tezmasPH: Pinoy Christmas-themed NFT minting contest encouraged artists to mint their NFTs on any Tezos-powered NFT marketplace such as Hic et Nunc and Objkt.com. Because Tezos is a proof-of-stake blockchain, it uses two million times less energy to operate than proof-of-work blockchains. This allows for drastically less fees when artists mint their work. TZ APAC shouldered the fees for artists who didn’t have the funds to participate in the competition, allowing especially new artists to effectively begin their NFT journey.

“Even before NFTs, it has been a lifelong dedication of mine to help Filipino creatives monetize their talents and work with clients abroad. NFTs have added a new opportunity to monetize their talents directly through digital assets,” says AJ Dimarucot, renowned graphic designer and manager of the First Mint Fund, which also helps artists get onboarded to NFT by shouldering their first fees. I am glad to have discovered new artists through the #tezmasPH competition, and I’m confident that each new artist we onboard is another artist that will onboard other artists to NFTs,” Dimarucot said.

Tezos-powered NFT marketplaces are unique because the cheap gas fees allow users to experiment with their work. And this experimentation is visible in the #tezmasPH entries.

“The artists’ submitted entries are all on-brand with the kind of work found on Tezos NFT marketplaces like Hicetnunc and never found anywhere else,” says Team Manila’s Jowee Alviar, referring to how NFT platforms on the Tezos blockchain show high levels of experimentation and breadth of creativity from many artists not often found on other NFT platforms. “I am glad to be part of a competition that represents the best works and designs inspired by Philippine culture and showcase them to the global NFT community.”

“If anything, the competition has sparked interest for more local creatives to become aware of NFTs and the lucrative opportunity that is open for everybody. All they need to do is take that first step and try it,” Alviar added.

“Minting NFTs on the Tezos blockchain typically cost less than 10 cents, making it a highly economical way for artists to experiment on the blockchain. Artists are able to mint a wider variety of works, experiment with prices and number of editions, so they can find the right formula that works for them. This is especially important for budding artists as it can provide a form of financial opportunity and support that may help them overcome any financial pressures they face,” says David Tng, Head of Growth at TZ APAC and one of the judges for the event.

#tezmasPH is one of the first activities of TZAPAC in its commitment to increase Tezos adoption in the Philippines.

“I am personally impressed with the level of talent of the Filipino artists minting their work on Tezos-powered NFT marketplaces,” says Katherine Ng, Head of Marketing at TZ APAC. “#tezmasPH is just the first step as we further commit to helping grow the Tezos community in the Philippines through a combination of a hyperlocal approach and stakeholder collaboration. We will continue to support the growing number of Tezos Filipino artists and will soon hold dialogue with the developer community as well.”