Although no Filipino has ever set foot on the International Space Station or ISS, the Philippines is currently enjoying 30 days of fame thanks to a talented 13-year-old Pinoy.
Kiko Dumaup’s artwork is currently being eyeballed by the astronauts on the ISS as he was one of the 12 winners of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s 2018 calendar artwork contest. His prize-winning submission is the featured artwork in the calendar’s September 2018 spread, whose theme is “Exploring the Solar System.”
The calendar was transmitted in December 2017 to the ISS, which is currently in low orbit, approximately 330 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Whenever a member of the ISS’ six-man crew glances at the calendar this month, he or she will be seeing Dumaup’s vibrant artwork depicting an astronaut floating “above” the Solar System.
Dumaup’s artwork is one of the 12 chosen out of more than 3,000 entries submitted by children from all over the world. In January this year, he received the calendar as well as an autographed photo of astronaut Robert L. Behnken and a couple of NASA sticker patches.
Dumaup is currently a Grade 8 student at the Ateneo de Manila Junior High School, he was in Grade 7 when he joined and won the calendar contest. Not surprisingly, his current favorite subject in school is Art. When drawing, he favors realism over surrealism and prefers black-and-white to color.
