Palawan PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023

PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023
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PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023

There is a special Palawan PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023 taking place from 3-5 November during the Subaraw Biodiversity Festival 2023 at Puerto Princesa City in the Philippines.

This Philippine bird race is slightly different from the ones in Malaysia as each team is allocated a van and a marshall who accompanies the team throughout the race.

Update 7 Nov 2023: The event was successful, and there was a great article by Palawan News covering the International Bird Race.

Palawan PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023

This is also the 6th time that the Palawan bird race has been held here, the first one being in 2015. For now, the official name for this event is PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023 or Puerto Princesa Underground River Bird Photography Race.

As part of the Subaraw Biodiversity Festival, the bird race here takes place on one weekend only and is held as a commemoration of the declaration of the Underground River as a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 2011.

Bird Photo Race PPUR Palawan
One of the photos taken from a recent bird race here.

For your added info, Subaraw is also an interesting name which comes from the words suba, meaning “river”, and taraw, meaning “limestone cliff.” I must thank Maia for this detailed explanation of Subaraw.

For the main event, I believe that the Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa will be the host venue for the PPUR Bird Race, and most delegates or birders will be staying here. This is where the welcome dinners and other official matters take place.

In 2018, the PPUR Bird Race saw 25 teams from 10 countries take part, and the last PPUR Bird Race was held back in 2019 and attracted some 100 teams from all over. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the races were halted for a few years and now resuming again in 2023.

Bird Race Palawan 2023
The official poster for the Palawan International Bird Race.

Palawan PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023 Rules

The objective is to photograph as many birds as you can for the race while visiting several different locations around Puerto Princesa where birds are found. Locations include paddy fields, mangrove wetlands, farms, plantations, a Crocodile farm, resort seaside, and some of the parks.

Below are the points system that is awarded to each bird category

  • Palawan endemic birds – Ten (10) points
  • Rare migratory birds – Ten (10) points
  • Accidental – Ten (10) points
  • Resident and other Philippine endemic birds – Five (5) points
  • Common migratory birds – Three (3) points

For the registration, it may seem a little on the high side, but not to worry, as a lot more is included in the registration fees.

Registration Fee: P27,000 (US$482) per team includes;

  • One 3-bed sharing room at Princesa Garden Island Resort and SPA
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
  • One marshall and van to move around
  • Pick up and drop off at the airport
  • Hosted welcome dinner

 

Palawan Bird Race 2023
The prizes are being offered for this year’s race.

The Prizes

Bird Photography Race

P80,000 pesos is about US$1,500 for the winning team, and that is quite a considerable amount if you ask me. Again, the sponsors must be good, and this is a bonus for the winning teams.

Individual Category

There is also an individual category with a P10,000 prize with ‘Birdman of the Year’ and ‘Birdwoman of the Year’.

Special Awards Category

There are four special awards being given, and they are;

  1. Lady Team Category
  2. Best Bird Action Photo
  3. Best Team Uniform
  4. Best Palawan Endemic Photo

Seriously, I must attend the next PPUR Bird Photography Race 2024 to experience this firsthand, and then I will be able to share more details in my articles. Let’s hope that things work out for next year.

Puerto Princesa Bird Race 2023
Birders in action from the last PPUR bird race.

Conclusion

The Palawan PPUR Bird Photography Race 2023 is open to all, but at the time of writing this article, the submissions had closed, so for anyone interested to attend the next one, make sure you check the official PPUR Bird Race website for next years date and registration.

Perhaps in 2024, Birdwatching Asia will have the opportunity to visit and attend this beautiful festival and bird race that takes place in the southern part of the Philippines.

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