We explore the rigorous selection process behind the title of National Artist, as well as what the coveted position grants to those who hold it.
Earning the title of National Artist is no easy feat; it is, after all, the highest national recognition any Filipino artist can receive for their significant contributions to the development of the Philippine arts. Since the award’s establishment in 1972, the country has bestowed the title of National Artist to 81 individuals across the eight categories of Music; Dance; Theater; Visual Arts; Literature; Film and Broadcast Arts; Design; and Architecture and Allied Arts. Nominations are led by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Order of National Artists (ONA) is conferred triennially.
This 2025 marks a new batch of National Artists entering the country’s creative hall of fame, with a public call for nominations held back in November 2023 (and closed in June 2024).
What does it take to be placed among the country’s very best talents? A lot, apparently, so let’s break it down.
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The Criteria
For the most part, prospective candidates for the title of National Artist must fulfill its five main criteria, whether they’re still alive or have passed away. Firstly, living artists should be Filipino citizens at the time of nomination; if an artist is honored posthumously, they must’ve held Filipino citizenship at the time of their death.
Secondly, the content and form of an artist’s works should contribute in building what the NCCA calls “a Filipino sense of nationhood.” Thirdly, candidates are expected to have pioneered a mode of creative expression or style as well, for the purpose of influencing future generations of artists in their respective fields. The fourth criteria is the presence of a substantial oeuvre or body of works, or the consistent “display excellence in the practice of their [the artist’s] art form.”
Lastly, the National Artist award requires the artist to have “broad acceptance” through the following: prestigious national or international recognition (or both), critical acclaim of their works (which usually take the form of reviews), and respect or esteem from their peers.
A call for nominations will then be opened, and candidates can only be nominated for one of the eight National Artist categories that fits their practice. Nominations for the award are normally submitted by government and non-government cultural organizations, educational institutions, as well as private foundations and councils.
Members of the NCCA and CCP, by virtue of being part of the awards’s Special Research Group, are prohibited from submitting nominations. In a similar vein, NCCA-Board of Commissioners and CCP-Board of Trustees; the NCCA and CCP consultants, officers and staff; and the NCCA National Committee members, are also disqualified from being nominated.
This is why the 2009 National Artist awards, held during former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term, caused a particular stir. Arroyo had disregarded the rigorous screening process, choosing at the last minute four individuals who hadn’t even made it past the final stages of the selection process. One of them, Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, was even serving as the executive director of NCCA at the time, sparking public outrage that eventually saw the Supreme Court voiding the former president’s choices.
The Selection Process
The selection process for National Artist can be broken down to four deliberation stages. Prior to the first deliberation, the ONA Secretariat will be pre-screening names submitted during the nomination process based on the required nomination materials or documentation. Somewhere during this stage, the ONA Secretariat will also consider any “inadvertent omissions,” and may still add “deserving nominees” to its list before submitting it for first deliberation.
Within six months, the Special Research Group—made up of culture and arts researchers with expertise across disciplines and those familiar with the works of nominees—will be verifying and evaluating the validity, quality, and significance of the nominees’s works according to the criteria mentioned above, before coming up with updates and comprehensive profiles of final nominees.
The first round of deliberations will be facilitated by the ONA Council of Experts, which the NCCA describes as an “inter-disciplinary” group composed of a panel of experts from various fields and disciplines relating to the National Artist award categories. They will then submit their shortlisted nominees to the ONA Jury of Experts, who oversee the second deliberation process.
The ONA Jury of Experts is composed of three members from each of the eight categories, and will vote for their recommendations from the shortlisted nominees.
Next is the third deliberation, which comprises the Board of Commissioners (BOC) of the NCCA, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the CCP, and living National Artists. The National Artists present should not exceed more than 50% of the total number of NCCA BOC and CCP BOT present during this stage. However, if they do exceed this percentage, the National Artists allowed to participate will be determined by their seniority, based on the date of their proclamation as National Artist. During the deliberation, presenters will showcase the remaining nominees through an audio-visual presentation.
Last, but certainly not least, is the President of the Republic of the Philippines’s say. The current president will ultimately confirm and proclaim who among the submitted list of nominees will receive the title of National Artist, in accordance with the Supreme Court Ruling G.R. 189028.
The Benefits
According to the NCCA, the Order of National Artist is normally conferred by the President of the Philippines on June 11, though this can also be “any appropriate date in fitting ceremonies to be organized by the ONA Secretariat.”
Awardees will receive a gold-plated medallion of the Order of National Artist (minted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) and citation during the conferment ceremony. A cash award of ₱ 200,000 in cheque will also be issued right after the event.
The benefits of holding the title of National Artists extend throughout an awardee’s life, and even upon their death (in the case of living National Artists). These include a lifetime personal monthly stipend of ₱ 50,000 minimum; medical and hospitalization benefits not exceeding ₱ 750,000 a year; and a life insurance policy coverage by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) or private insurance companies from date of being awarded. Living National Artists who pass away, Nora Aunor being the most recent example, are entitled to a State Funeral, with the arrangements and costs covered by the government.
In the case of posthumously-recognized National Artists, their legal heirs will receive a one-time minimum cash award of ₱ 150,000.
What’s In A Name?
The National Artist award aims to recognize the creative visionaries who’ve changed our country’s artistic landscape for the better, and in so doing, fosters the legacy of Philippine culture and the arts. It’s certainly an honor and point of pride for the country—though like any award, it’s not a perfect or all-encompassing one.
There are countless people who’ve made an impact on our artistic and cultural scene—and continue to do so—who haven’t been named National Artist. It’s been a source of contention among the public and art community for years, almost for as long as the Order of National Artists has existed. Just like prestigious awards like the Oscars, a list of controversial “snubs” trails behind the title of National Artist.
For instance, Nora Aunor was only granted the title in 2022—though the public and film community at large have been clamoring for her to join the ranks for years. Thankfully, she was rightly recognized within her lifetime. The public has also wondered why the country’s famous traditional tattoo artist, Whang-Od, hasn’t been considered for the title, given her intricate and culturally-significant works. Though according to NCCA Chairman Victorino Manalo states she simply doesn’t fit the criteria for National Artist because her work falls under the GAMABA (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) award—presented to the “finest traditional artists of the land.”
The list of Filipino visionaries who definitely deserve the title of National Artist goes on and on, so much so it would take more than one article to round up all the country’s influential names. The award will always be a biased one, reliant on the preferences of those sitting in the panel, and of course, the person in charge of the entire country.
Undoubtedly, those that hold the title of National Artist have reason to be praised and respected, but a lack thereof doesn’t indicate otherwise. And besides, artists who are truly passionate about their craft will tell you that they never do it for the sparkling awards or any external validation—and that’s exactly why they endure.
