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What started as a passion for shoe customization turned into a million-peso victory for a University of Southern Mindanao (USM) student on the national stage.
Marco John Delos Santos, a third-year Computer Engineering student, emerged as the Grand Winner in the Online Content Creation category of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Young Creatives Challenge (YC2) Season 3 – Regular Edition. He received the ₱1 million grand prize during the competition’s grand finale held at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig City.
Delos Santos earned the top award through a ten-episode documentary series that captured his journey as a shoe customization artist. The series showed his experiences, and growth while pursuing his craft.
Around 30 contestants from across the country competed in the category. Delos Santos said he learned about the Young Creatives Challenge through Facebook after previously winning the DTI Young Entrepreneur Sellfluence Challenge in his province. Encouraged by that experience, he decided to take on the national competition.
“For young creatives like me, keep pursuing your passions, ambitions, and dreams no matter how many failures you encounter or how difficult the journey becomes. Keep pushing until you achieve the success you have always wanted,” Delos Santos said.He also expressed his gratitude to his family, friends, and classmates for their unwavering support throughout the competition.
The DTI Young Creatives Challenge provides young Filipinos with an opportunity to showcase original ideas and creative storytelling while developing skills in digital content creation.
