Pinoy Teens Online Head Kevin Paquet taking a closer look at National Geographic Channel Asia’s Photo Contest, which has in one way or another turned into a huge mess already.

Note Jeffrey Aguilar, who is also promoting the same picture under Jeff Tan

One of my blogger friends going by the name Richard Diongson introduced me to a little contest that National Geographic Channel Asia was hosting on Facebook. He told me about it indirectly, though. He has asked me to like his entry, which is a decent picture taken at a shore and enhanced through his favorite photo application. It was a stunning shot, and by browsing through a few entries, I’ve come to realize that there are many more exciting shots yet to discover! From the most simplest of means to the most photographic ones, and those who have been paired with a decent set of words.

But my browsing was accompanied with a huge sigh as I noted the greed, the desperate ego of a number of participants who just want one thing, the Camera, and nothing more or less…

NatGeo’s Asia Photo Contest is spammed

And no other statement would suit it better. Most, if not all entries on the said Facebook Page is spammed by other contestants voicing out that they have liked the photo that they’ve commented on, begging for a like in return. Where’s the value there? What’s the essence of the contest if people will feel forced or conditioned to like other people’s entries? It just makes no sense, and I really dislike the fact that some of the most beautiful entries are buried down the wire, and ugly shots are getting high votes – just because their owners spam them like hell.

The Worst Case Scenario

Some people are also exercising a decent level of corruption. Saying that they liked the entry they’ve claimed to have liked, but didn’t actually liked it, or say, removed their “like” on that picture once they’ve been liked in return. Contestants can’t get more desperate than this, eh?

You don’t know any photography, eh?

Pictures leading the ranking are up on top because of the very foul and biased promotion method applied by the participants with the right to those images. I wonder if they know anything about photography and the essence about it.

Every entry is losing it’s beauty, it’s essence once people will feel forced to like it. The contest is not simply about those pictures with the most likes, but those that stand out which should be deserving to lead.

Yes, the contest is hosted on a social networking websites, the largest at that, which is Facebook. But it gives them no right to spam each entry… You can interact with the other people, say something proper, and then you could ask them to like your images, but to straight away copy and paste “oh i like this, hope you like mine too here’s the link: blah blah blah” on each new picture that has been uploaded is plain and simple bullshit. There’s no value in those comments.

Looks like greed and desperation is taking over again, such a pity that it has to happen at such a beautiful contest.