Himig Handog was first established in 2000. To date, it only had held five competitions which were in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and in 2013. Each year, the title and theme of the contest changes. In 2000, the contest was titled as
Himig Handog sa Bayang Pilipino which was held on October 1. During the second, third and fourth contests' themes and titles were
JAM: Makabagong Kabataan,
Love Songs and
Love Songs 2 respectively. From 2001 to 2003, only three songs were rewarded with varying amounts of financial incentives(cash prizes) depending on which entry came in first, second, and third. However, in 2013, the amount of incentives given were raised to five to make up a 'Top Five'. Other award categories were also introduced during this year. Also, it introduced a music video contest where participating
tertiary institutions across the country were given the challenge of producing and directing the music videos for each song entry under a certain budget. The inaugural edition of Himig Handog was held on October 1 2000 at
Meralco Theater in
Pasig City. Earlier editions, including the inaugural, had specified themes which the songs need to conform to. The theme in 2000 was "Himig Handog sa Bayang Pilipino" which meant that submitted songs should be dedicated to
Filipino heroes. The second edition was held at the
Eugenio Lopez, Jr. Communications Center in
Quezon City. The theme for this edition was "JAM: Himig Handog sa Makabagong Kabataan", a tribute to Filipino youth. The third and final edition before the 10-year long hiatus was held at ABS-CBN Studio 10 focusing on
love songs. The theme of the 2013 contest was P-Pop Love Songs: Mga Awit at Kwento ng Pusong Pilipino (lit. P-Pop Love Songs: The Songs and Stories of Filipino Hearts). It was held at the
Mall of Asia Arena on February 24, 2013 The competition consists of twelve finalists selected from the 2,500 songs submitted during the auditions.The competition ended with "Anong Nangyari Sa Ating Dalawa" as the first place by
Jovinor Tan (interpreted by
Aiza Seguerra). Also, on second place was "Hanggang Wakas" by Soc Villanueva (interpreted by
Juris Fernandez); third place was "If You Ever Change Your Mind", which was sung and composed
Marion Aunor; fourth place was "Scared to Death" by Domingo Rosco Jr. and sung by
KZ Tandingan; and fifth place was "Kahit Na" by Julius James de Belen and interpreted by
Toni Gonzaga. Meanwhile, the song "
Nasa Iyo na ang Lahat" by Jungee Marcelo which was sung by
Daniel Padilla won special awards. These include MOR Listener's Choice,
Tambayan 101.9 Listener's Choice, Star Records CD Buyer's Choice and the
MYX Choice for Best Video. The competition was judged by
Jim Paredes,
Louie Ocampo,
Olivia Lamasan, August Benitez,
Jett Pangan,
Freddie Aguilar,
Cory Vidanes,
Freddie M. Garcia,
Jed Madela,
Sarah Geronimo and
Ogie Alcasid as its chairman. The 2014 edition of the contest was titled "Himig Handog P-Pop Love Songs" and was held at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum on September 28, 2014, where the interpreters performed their songs with an orchestra conducted by
Gerard Salonga. The studio versions of the songs were performed by the interpreters live at the morning lifestyle TV show
Kris TV and on Sunday noontime variety show
ASAP 19 ahead of the grand-finals night. The Top 15 finalists of the 2016 edition, themed "Himig Handog P-Pop Love Songs" was released on January 13, 2016. The grand finals night was held at the
Kia Theatre on April 24, 2016, and aired on ABS-CBN's "Sunday's Best". "Dalawang Letra", a song entry composed by
Pinoy Dream Academy alumnus
Davey Langit and interpreted by
Itchyworms band was named as the grand winner, while the song "O Pag-Ibig", composed by Honlani Rabe and Jack Rufo and interpreted by Ylona Garcia and Bailey May bagged the most number of special awards. The Top 10 finalists of the Himig Handog 2017 was released on September 10, 2017. The grand finals day was held on
ASAP on November 26, 2017, on ABS-CBN. "Titibo-Tibo", a song entry composed by Libertine Amistoso and interpreted by Moira Dela Torre was named as the grand winner, while the song "Tayo na Lang Kasi", composed by Soc Villanueva and interpreted by Kyla and Jason Dy bagged the most number of special awards. The Special Awards recognized selected entries and artists for various distinctions. "Tayo na Lang Kasi," performed by Kyla and Jason Dy, received the MOR 101.9 Choice Award, the One Music Philippines Favorite Interpreter Choice Award, and the MYX Best Music Video Choice Award. "Wow na Feelings," performed by Janella Salvador, was awarded TFC's Global Choice Award. "The Labo Song," performed by Kaye Cal, received the Star Music Choice Award. The Top 10 finalists of the Himig Handog 2018 was released on September 25, 2018, and on September 26, 2018, they revealed their interpreters. The grand finals day was held on ASAP on November 11, 2018, on ABS-CBN. This was also the last episode of ASAP prior to its reformat into ASAP Natin 'To in the following week after the entry of
Regine Velasquez as a main host. Beginning with this edition, competitions between universities and colleges for the best music video production were no longer held. The Top 12 finalists of the Himig Handog 2019 was released on June 24, 2019, while the interpreters were revealed on July 26, 2019. The grand finals day was held on ASAP Natin 'To on October 13, 2019, on ABS-CBN. This year, among the 3,000 of compositions submitted, the Top 12 finalists of the Himig Handog 2020 was announced on September 26, 2020, via
ABS-CBN social media platforms and the interpreters were revealed on October 24, 2020. The music videos for all songs were released on January 2, 2021. The grand finals night was held on March 21, 2021, at the ABS-CBN Studio 10 (the studio used for
ASAP). Because of the
restrictions caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the grand finals night was held
without a live audience, and was streamed on KTX.ph with a delayed telecast on Sunday's Best, while the organizers, artists, and crew followed quarantine periods, enforced
swab test requirements, maintained distancing protocols and followed all health and safety procedures to ensure their safety and good health. In September 2022,
PhilPop and Himig Handog, renowned entities in the Philippine music industry, collaborated for the biggest songwriting festival in the Philippines. This collaboration followed an open audition where songwriters could submit their released or unreleased songs. On April 14, 2023,
PhilPop and Himig Handog announced the selection of 35 DigiCamp fellows who would take part in the Songwriting Festival. These selected 35 fellows engaged in a 2-month DigiCamp program tailored to enrich their songwriting skills. The DigiCamp curriculum included a well-structured program providing training, guidance, and mentorship to foster the development of their capabilities as songwriters. After the 2-month training, the 35 fellows had to submit their final entries to qualify for the Top 12. On July 22, 2023,
PhilPop and Himig Handog, revealed the Top 12 selected grand finalists who had qualified to progress to the forthcoming competition. The Top 12 entries went through multiple rounds of adjudication, headed by an esteemed panel of board members, producers, key leaders, prominent songwriters, and decision-makers affiliated with PhilPop and Himig Handog. One year after the announcement of the Top 12, on July 17, 2024, a video uploaded by
Star Music PH and
Philpop unveiled the names of the interpreters and their respective songs, alongside the composers. The following day, July 18, 2024, marked the highly anticipated grand media launch of Philpop Himig Handog 2024. This event was attended by the interpreters and the Top 12 composers, including notable figures like
Ice Seguerra,
Moira Dela Torre,
Johnoy Danao,
Maki,
VXON,
Khimo Gumatay and several emerging artists from the Philippines. The Top 12 Philpop Himig Handog songs were released on all digital platforms on July 19, 2024. The official music videos were released on November 8, 2024, on the ABS-CBN Star Music YouTube channel. The Finals Night was held at the
New Frontier Theater on March 22, 2025. == Winners ==