Friday, January 22, 2016

6:44 PM | Call for Submission to the 2nd Silliman Film Open

Rules and Regulations

AS OF 22 JANUARY 2016

DOWNLOAD THE RULES HERE.
DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM HERE.

1. The Silliman Short Film Open (SFO) is open to all graduate, tertiary, and secondary school students (grades 8 to 12) currently enrolled in Silliman University.

2. The Director and/or Scriptwriter of an entry must be a student officially enrolled in the university during the time of the production.

3. The SFO will have three categories for 2016:

     a. Live-Action Fiction Short Film
     b. Documentary Short Subject
     c. Original Music Video

4. The categories are described as follows:

     a. Entries in the Live-Action Fiction Short Film category must be works of film fiction of any subject or theme. Adaptations of other works are accepted as long as permission from the proper copyright holder has been extended to the filmmaker. They should be no more than 10 minutes in length, including both opening and closing credits.

     b. Entries in the Documentary Short Subject category must be works of film nonfiction, and may be of any subject. They should be no more than 15 minutes in length, including both opening and closing credits.

     c. Entries in the Original Music Video category must be works depicting any original song by a local artist or band, with proper permission from the copyright holder. They should be no more than 5 minutes in length, including both opening and closing credits.

5. The filmmakers are relatively free to choose any subject for their films. Restraint with regards depictions of overt sexuality or violence is encouraged however. Storylines that denigrate religion or sexual orientations are frowned upon. No film is allowed to advocate murder and torture, racism, pedophilia, misogyny, or homophobia—unless done in an ironic mode, or done to render these issues in serious and provocative light meant to provide a better understanding of such issues but without the intention of glorifying them.

6. Each film must be shot in an aspect ratio of 16:9 (unless there is an aesthetic reason to shot in another aspect ratio). The signal format must at least be in 720p (HD).

7. The entries may use English, Cebuano, Filipino, or any of the other regional languages of the Philippines. All entries are required to be subtitled in English, and in .srt format. (No hard coding.) They should be grammatical, and must be rendered in bright yellow with dark borders to ensure readability.

8. All films must be set/shot in Silliman University, and/or Dumaguete City, and/or its environs.

9. A participant may join one or more categories and may submit any number of entries for each category.

10. An entry can only be submitted to one category.

11. Cash prizes will be given, and only one winner is declared per category. A runner-up per category is given a certificate with a special citation.

12. Special prizes will also be given to the following categories:

     a. For Live-Action Fiction Short Films: Eligible for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up, Best Sound Editing, Best Musical Scoring, Best Song, and Best Poster.

     b. For Documentary Short Subjects: Eligible for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Musical Scoring, and Best Poster.

     c. A Special Audience Award is given to a crowd favorite from among all the categories.

The winners of the special prizes will be given certificates of recognition. Special prizes will only be given to winners who happen to be bonafide students of Silliman University. No special prizes will be given in categories where the filmmakers have sought outside help.

13. The competition opens on 1 January 2016. There are two deadlines, one for Registration and one for Final Submission of Film Entries.

14. The deadline for Registration is 12 February 2016, Friday at 5:00 PM at the Cultural Affairs Committee Office. (Please look for Nadine Padao.) The film entries may or may not be submitted on this date, but the following are required for submission:

     a. Accomplished application form
     b. List of participants/creative collaborators form
     c. A .psd file of the poster
     d. A 2- to 3-minute trailer in .avi or .mp4
     e. An application fee of P150.00

The Registration Forms may be obtained from the following address:

     Cultural Affairs Committee
     College of Performing and Visual Arts Building II
     Silliman University
     6200 Dumaguete City

Forms may also be downloaded at the CAC website and Facebook page.

All of the Registration requirements should be placed inside a short brown envelope, properly labeled with the name of the director and the title of the entry.

One registration form should be accomplished per entry. The application fee of P150 should be paid for every entry.

15. The form for the list of participants/creative collaborators must contain the following:

     a. Complete title of film
     b. Running time
     c. Synopsis
     d. Name and contact number and email address of the film representative
     e. Name of director
     f. Name of screenplay writer(s)
     g. Complete cast list (name of actor and name of character)
     h. Name of cinematographer
     i. Name of editor
     j. Name of production designer
     k. Name of costume designer
     l. Name of make-up artist
     m. Name of sound mixer/editor
     n. Name of music scorer
     o. Title(s) of original song(s) used and name(s) of artist
     p. Name of poster designer

16. The deadline for the Final Submission of Entries is on 26 February 2016 at 12:00 NN at the Cultural Affairs Committee Office. (Please look for Nadine Padao.)

17. The final copy of the film entry must be submitted in a virus-free a flash disk, properly labeled with the title of the entry, in either of the two formats: AVI and MP4. The file size should not be more than 1.5 GB.

18. Entrants must indicate in their Registration Form if they have incurred help from professional production houses outside the university in the making of their video. Only help in the technical aspects of filmmaking—cinematography, editing, and sound editing—are permitted. Entrants must indicate the name of the production house and what specific work was done for the video.

The student filmmaker may seek outside help in Cinematography, Editing, Acting, Sound Design, and Musical Score. Hired professional help is discouraged in Cinematography, Acting, Sound Design, and Musical Score—although they may secure this in Editing. Student effort in all areas of filmmaking is encouraged.

19. All music—including the songs and score—must be original. You may secure collaboration with other students in the university, particularly from the College of Performing and Visual Arts. The use of prerecorded and copyrighted materials is prohibited.

20. The student filmmaker must shoulder the finances of the entire production of the film. All film rights belong to the filmmaker, although he/she is required to acknowledge the Silliman University Cultural Affairs Committee as main presenter of the finished film. The CAC also retains the right to screen the film at any time to market future editions of the SFO.

21. Entries submitted by the second deadline [February 26] cannot be withdrawn from the competition.

22. The participating filmmakers must assign a single representative to act on their behalf. (The director is the suggested representative.) All official communications shall be addressed to the representative.

23. A jury of five to seven members is appointed to screen the entries on February 26, Friday at 6—9 PM. They are tasked (a) to select five nominees per special awards category, (b) to choose the winners of the special awards, (c) to choose the winning best films per category, and (d) and to select the 8 or 10 top films to be screened during the Final Night and Awards Ceremony.

24. The festival is slated on February 27, Saturday. The screening for the films not selected among the 8 or 10 top films is slated at 1—4 PM at the Audio Visual Theatre 1. The screening for the finalists is slated at 6—9 PM at the Luce Auditorium.

25. The films will be screened alphabetically according to the surnames of the student filmmakers.

26. The 8 or 10 finalists vie for the top awards of Best Live-Action Film, Best Documentary Short Subject, and/or Best Musical Video. All entries however are eligible for the special awards.

27. The Awarding Ceremony will be held at the end of the program at the Luce. The actors and production crew of all films are required to attend.

28. The decision of the jury is final. The board reserves the right not to give any awards in a category should no entry merit it.

29. The SFO organizing committee will not be liable for any controversy regarding the sharing of awards among the members of the group.

30. Any entry not following the rules, regulations and mechanics are disqualified. 



Labels: art and culture, contests, cultural affairs committee, dumaguete, film, negros, silliman

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Sunday, January 17, 2016

12:21 PM | Kokoy F. Guevara Poetry Competition is Open for Submission

The Kokoy F. Guevara Poetry Competition was established by the friends and family of the late poet Francisco F. Guevara, in partnership with the De La Salle University (DLSU) Department of Literature and the Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center (BNSCWC), to commemorate his life and work.

Kokoy F. Guevara, whose poetry and prose have appeared in both local and international publications, was a writer and teacher. His poetry collection The Reddest Herring was published in 2015 by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. He also published two chapbook-length interviews in the Critics in Conversation series of the DLSU Publishing House. He earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2010 where he was a teaching-writing fellow.

Guevara spent his years writing masterful verses, and through his work as a teacher he encouraged many others to write their own. The Kokoy F. Guevara Poetry Competition intends to continue his work by promoting interest in poetry in the Philippines and providing an opportunity through which talented writers may be recognized.

Eligibility

The contest is open to poets of all ages who are Filipino citizens. It is also open to poets of any nationality residing or studying in Iowa, USA. BNSCWC personnel, Board of Associates, and Advisory Council are not eligible for the competition.

Entries

An entry must consist of at least five (5) and not more than ten (10) unpublished poems written in English. Entries must be e-mailed to kokoyguevaraprize@gmail.com. Entries must be in PDF format, typed in size-12 Arial or Times New Roman double-spaced font. Entries not complying with competition rules will be disqualified.

Submission Requirements

Each entry must be accompanied by a separate page that includes the following information:

1. The poet’s first, middle and last name, as well as any nickname and/or pseudonym;
2. 2” x 2” photo;
3. Date of birth;
4. Full contact information (postal address valid for the next 12 months, e-mail address, landline phone number and mobile number); and
5. For Filipino citizens, proof of citizenship (e.g., scanned copy of passport, driver’s license or student ID), and for residents of Iowa, USA (e.g., scanned copy of driver’s license or student ID).

No entry fee is required. Only one entry per contestant will be accepted.

Entries shall be accepted from 28 November 2015 to 28 June 2016.

Board of Judges

The entries will be judged by a panel of judges from the Philippines and the United States. The panel of judges shall have absolute discretion regarding any matter relating to the qualifications and rules of the contest. The decision of the Board of Judges is final.

Prizes

First Prize: PHP25,000
Second Prize: PHP15,000
Third Prize: PHP10,000

The prizes are offered as gross amounts. Winners are responsible for any taxes and fees resulting from their prizes. For US entries, the prizes will be the US-Dollar equivalent of the aforementioned amounts, based on the rate of exchange on the day the winners are announced. The winners will be announced on 28 October 2016. Winners will be notified via e-mail, SMS, and/or telephone.

Copyright

Copyright remains with the author, but the Kokoy F. Guevara Poetry Competition reserves the right to have entries performed or published live, on the internet or in an anthology at any time in the future. Each participant will be responsible for complying with applicable intellectual property laws.

Privacy Policy

All personal information submitted will remain confidential and will be used solely for notification purposes. Personal information submitted shall not be made public.

Governing Law

Governing law for this contest shall be Philippine law.

Disclaimer

Neither the judges or organizers of the contest, nor the heirs of Kokoy Guevara shall be liable with any contestant for any breach of law, contract, or other arrangements. None of the judges or organizers of the contest, nor the heirs of Kokoy Guevara, make any representation or warranty or any other statement as to the compliance by any contestant with any applicable law, contract, or arrangement to which a contestant is subject.

For inquiries, please email kokoyguevaraprize@gmail.com or call BNSCWC (632)5244611, local 233.

Labels: contests, friends, literature, philippine literature, poetry, writers

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Sunday, October 18, 2009

5:56 PM | Eric Gamalinda Makes It as Finalist to the Man Asian Prize!

[PR]

Omair Ahmad, Siddharth Chowdhury, Eric Gamalinda, Nitasha Kaul and Su Tong are today announced as the shortlisted authors for the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize, the leading regional prize for novels unpublished in English. The shortlist, chosen by an international judging panel, was announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where a display about the prize can be seen at the Hong Kong Government pavilion.



The five shortlisted books, chosen from a longlist of 24, are Omair Ahmad's Jimmy the Terrorist, Siddharth Chowdhury's Day Scholar, Eric Gamalinda's The Descartes Highlands (read an excerpt here), Nitasha Kaul's Residue, and Su Tong's The Boat to Redemption.

Chair of the judging panel Colm Toibin, comments: “Reading these books was a fascinating experience because of the range of styles and subjects. The variety of ways in which voice and tone was used in these novels, the sense of commitment to story, the range in the methods of exploring both self and society, the interest in experimenting and making it new, made the time
spent judging this prize rewarding and enlightening.”

The winner of the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize will be announced on Monday, 16 November 2009 at a dinner at the Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong. The winning author will receive US$10,000 and can look forward to publication and wider recognition in the English-reading world. A distinguished panel of judges selects a single work of fiction to be awarded the prize each year. Chaired by Irish novelist Colm Toibin, the 2009 judges include Chinese American author Gish Jen and Indian writer Pankaj Mishra who was also a judge of the 2008 Prize.

The Man Asian Literary Prize was established in 2006 to bring greater worldwide attention to Asian writing and authors. Works submitted for consideration must not yet have been published in English, although they may have been published in other languages. The Prize is jointly administered by representatives of the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The inaugural prize was awarded in 2007 to Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong, which was published in English to great acclaim in early 2008. Miguel Syjuco’s Illustrado won the 2008 prize and will be published in 2010. Many of the short- and longlisted works from 2007 and 2008 have also been published.

Labels: books, contests, man asian, philippine literature, writers

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Saturday, July 25, 2009

7:48 PM | Hurrah to the Five Filipinos in the Man Asian 2009 Longlist!

The Administrative Committee for the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize has today announced the longlist of works for this prize:

Gopilal Acharya, With a Stone in My Heart
Omair Ahmad, Jimmy the Terrorist
Siddharth Chowdhury, Day Scholar
Kishwar Desai, Witness the Night
Samuel Ferrer, The Last Gods of Indochine
Eric Gamalinda, The Descartes Highlands
Ram Govardhan, Rough with the Smooth
Kanishka Gupta, History of Hate
Kameroon Rasheed Ismeer, Memoirs of a Terrorist
Ratika Kapur, Overwinter
Mariam Karim, The Bereavement of Agnes Desmoulins
Sriram Karri, The Autobiography of a Mad Nation
Nitasha Kaul, Residue
R. Zamora Linmark, Leche
Mario I. Miclat, Secrets of the Eighteen Mansions
Clarissa V. Militante, Different Countries
Varuna Mohite, Omigod
Dipika Mukherjee, Thunder Demons
Hena Pillai, Blackland
Roan Ching-Yueh, Lin Xiu-Tzi and Her Family
Edgar Calabia Samar, Eight Muses of the Fall
K. Srilata, Table for Four
Su Tong, The Redemption Boat
Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, Shadow of the Red Star

This longlist of 24 unpublished works of Asian fiction in English will be reviewed and evaluated by the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize judges, who will announce a shortlist of works in October 2009. The winner will be announced on Monday, 16 November at an awards ceremony in Hong Kong.

The judging panel for the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize comprises Indian writer Pankaj Mishra, Irish novelist Colm Toibin (Chair), and Chinese American author Gish Jen.

The 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize longlist was chosen from among 150 submissions received from all over Asia.

Labels: contests, man asian, philippine literature, writers

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Friday, June 12, 2009

11:21 AM | 7th Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Contest

The topic this year is biskwit, traditional cookies that have been part of Philippine cuisine, nationally or locally, for at least 50 years. There are many types including pan de san nicolas, kamachile, uraro, roscas, biscocho principe, among many others. Modern products like today's chocolate chip cookies are not included.

English-language essays from 4,500 to 5,00 characters (800 words) will be judged by professional writers for content, research, and style. The judges' decision is final, and submissions become the property of Manila Ladies Branch of the International Wine & Food Society who manage the contest. Entries should be two pages, double-spaced on short bond paper. Submit 1 printed and 1 digital copy of the essay. For the digital copy use Word (doc.) or rich text file (rtf) on a CD. Deadlines for submissions is 31 August 2009, 5pm.

A contestant is allowed up to two entries, each with a different pen name as byline. Only post by special delivery or hand-deliver submissions. Each essay should be accompanied by an envelope inside which is the author's name, pen name, addresses/landlines (residential, business, school whichever are applicable; for the latter specify grade level, course), email address, cellphone and FAX numbers.

Prizes include gift certificates from bookstores, publishing houses and restaurants; magazine subscriptions; publication of winning entries in newspapers and magazines; and invitation to the awarding ceremony.

The contest is a tribute to the country's one time dean of Philippine food columnists, a major national and international catalyst for interest in Philippine cuisine, and founding Vice President of the contest's manager: The Manila Ladies Branch of the International Wine & Food Society.

Submit to:

Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award 2009
IWFS Manila Ladies Branch Awards Committee
PRISM, 5th floor, PDAF Bldg.,
Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City 1200

For inquiries and additional information contact Ms. Girlie Canlas at 890-9666 or dgfawards (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) ph.

Labels: call for submissions, contests, food, writing

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

5:26 PM | The NCCA Writers Prize 2010

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts announces that the NCCA Writers’ Prize is now open for application by Filipino writers. The NCCA Writers’ Prize a biennial grant awarded to five writers, one for each of the following categories: Poetry (Ilocano language), Novel (Filipino language), Essay (Kapampangan language), and Drama (Cebuano language/Bicolano language). The grant, in the amount of TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS gross, will assist the Grantee during the writing stage of the project. The grant is good for one year, after which a manuscript of the writing project will be submitted to the NCCA for possible publication or staging. For details, please click here.

Labels: call for submissions, contests, philippine literature, writing

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

7:01 PM | Kwento

A good friend, the film director and Palanca-winning screenplay writer Jun Lana, has a screenplay-writing clinic with a kick-ass incentive. Read all about it in his blog.

Labels: contests, directors, film, screenplay, workshops

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

11:19 PM | Call for Entries to the 2009 Maningning Miclat Trilingual Poetry Competition

The Maningning Miclat Art Foundation is calling on young poets aged 28 and below to submit entries to the 2009 Maningning Miclat Trilingual Poetry Competition in three divisions: Filipino, English and Chinese. The Maningning Award, handed out yearly since 2003, honors China-born Maningning Miclat, a poet in three languages, a published essayist, and a prizewinning visual artist who was also a teacher, translator and interpreter. Her collection Voice from the Underworld (Anvil, 2000) is the first book of poetry in the world in Filipino, English and Chinese written solely by one author. Some of her poems were included in a book of top international women poets in Chinese published in China. She passed away in September 2000. The Maningning Miclat Art Foundation was formed in 2001 to carry on the artist/poet’s legacy, encourage creativity, and support outstanding young poets and artists. The trilingual poetry competition is held during odd-numbered years, while the painting competition is held during even-numbered years.

An entry must have at least eight but not more than 15 poems. Authors may join all the divisions but can submit only one entry in each division. All entries should be original in any of the three languages and not a translation of another entry. Four copies should be submitted, with the poems printed double-spaced on regular bond paper with one-inch margins on all sides, using Arial or Times New Roman size-12 font. Only a pen name must be printed on an entry, with the real name and pen name submitted in a separate sealed envelope together with the entrant’s biodata, birth certificate copy, and a notarized declaration of originality and authenticity of authorship.

Entries must be addressed to the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI), 2nd Floor, Mile Long Building, Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City (Tel No. 816-7490 to 91) not later than 5:00 p.m. of April 15, 2009. Entries sent by mail should be postmarked/invoiced not later than April 1, 2009.

Grand winners in the divisions of the Poetry Competition will each receive P28,000 together with a Julie Lluch trophy and the special collector’s edition of the books Voice from the Underworld, Beauty for Ashes: Remembering Maningning and Beyond the Great Wall: A Family Journal, which won a 2006 National Book Award for biography.

Past winners of the Maningning Poetry Awards are Naya Valdellon and Joselito delos Reyes in 2003; Allan Pastrana, Joseph Saguid and Ye Cai-sheng in 2005; and Raymond John de Borja, Erica Clariz delos Reyes and Chen Si-yuan in 2007.

For more information on the 2009 Maningning Miclat Art Competition, e-mail maningningfoundation (at) gmail (dot) com or amiclat2008 (at) yahoo (dot) com. You may also log in to the official website.

[from krip yuson]

Labels: call for submissions, contests, philippine literature, poetry, writers

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

3:46 PM | The 59th Palanca Awards is Now Open

On its 59th year, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the country's most prestigious and longest-running literary contest, officially opens on 1 March 2009.

This year, the Palanca Awards announces the introduction of two new categories –- Poetry Written for Children in the English Division and Tulang Isinulat Para sa mga Bata in the Filipino division. In these new categories, envisioned to encourage the development of a body of poetry for young children, an entry must consist of a collection of at least 10 but not more than 15 poems. It may deal with any subject and must be comprehensible within the grade-school reading level of children ages 6-12, but accessible in its oral form by younger children.

The complete regular categories under which participants can submit their entries are: English Division (Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, Poetry Written for Children, One-act Play, Full-length Play); Filipino Division (Maikling Kuwento, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Sanaysay, Tula, Tulang Isinulat Para sa mga Bata, Dulang May Isang Yugto, Dulang Ganap ang Haba, and Dulang Pampelikula); Regional Languages Division (Short Story in Cebuano, Short Story in Hiligaynon and Short Story in Iluko). Each contestant may submit only one entry per category.

Meanwhile, in the Kabataan Essay Division, the Palanca Awards' special division for writers below 18 years old, the theme in the English category is "How can the Filipino youth help build a globally competitive nation?" In the Filipino category, the theme is "Paano makatutulong ang kabataang Filipino sa pagtataguyod ng isang maunlad na bansa na maihahanay sa mga nangungunang bayan sa buong mundo?"

The literary contest is open to all Filipino (or former Filipino) citizens, except current officers and employees of its organizing body, the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc. Contest rules and official entry forms are available at the Palanca Awards' official website. For further information, you may call telephone number 856-0808.

Entries with complete requirements may be submitted to the Foundation's office at the 6th Floor, One World Square Bldg., 10 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hill Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City or may also be entered online through the Palanca Awards website or sent through email at palancaawards@yahoo.com.

Deadline of submission of entries for this year's awards is midnight of 30 April 2009. Winners will be announced on 1 September 2009.

Labels: contests, palanca, philippine literature, writing

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Thursday, January 22, 2009

8:49 PM | Oscar Shock

I'm still in shock.

How can the Academy not nominate The Dark Knight for Best Picture, and Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road? (Well, she was nominated for Lead Actress in The Reader, but...) And how did Angelina Jolie in Changeling get in instead of Kristin Scott Thomas in I've Loved You So Long? (Don't talk to me about poor Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky. I wanted to kill Poppy in that movie.) And where's James Franco for either Milk or Pineapple Express? Or Wall-E for Best Picture? Or Leonardo DiCaprio for Revolutionary Road? Or Dev Patel for Slumdog Millionaire? Or Michael Sheen for Frost/Nixon? Or Rebecca DeWitt for Rachel Getting Married? And Taraji Henson for The Curious Case for Benjamin Button? That character was such a one-note caricature! And did Brad Pitt do some acting ba in that movie?

Why does the Academy hate Christian Bale so much? First, there was the snub for his monstrous turn in American Psycho. Next, there was the snub for his eye-popping transformation in The Machinist. And now, a lock out of The Dark Knight from the top prize? Bollocks.

But I am happy for Michael Shannon getting the nod for Best Supporting Actor in Revolutionary Road. He was an electrifying presence there. And Viola Davis for Doubt, especially after getting snubbed for her work in Far Away From Heaven and Solaris. And I'm happy for the Clint Eastwood snub in Gran Torino. About time.

My fearless forecast: Slumdog Millionaire for Best Picture. Gus Van Sant in Milk for Best Director. Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler for Best Actor. Kate Winslet in The Reader for Best Actress. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight for Best Supporting Actor. And Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona for Best Supporting Actress.

It's a wide-open race.

Get the full list of nominations here.

Labels: contests, film, oscar

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Friday, November 14, 2008

10:36 AM | Chuck Won the Man Asian!

Here's one for Philippine literature! Miguel Syjuco's novel Ilustrado has won the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize.

From the press release: A panel of three internationally acclaimed authors and experienced literary judges named Filipino author Miguel Syjuco winner of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize for his novel Ilustrado, a fictional account of a young Filipino caught within a notorious scandal spanning over the Philippine history.

The panel of judges for the 2008 prize praised Ilustrado: "The shortlist for the Man Asian prize testifies to the great vitality of the novel in Asian societies undergoing hectic and unexpected transformations. In the end, we had to choose; and Ilustrado seems to us to possess formal ambition, linguistic inventiveness and sociopolitical insight in the most satisfying measure. Brilliantly conceived, and stylishly executed, it covers a large and tumultuous historical period with seemingly effortless skill. It is also ceaselessly entertaining, frequently raunchy, and effervescent with humour."

The prize winner was announced at a celebratory dinner at The Peninsula Hong Kong. Miguel Syjuco was awarded USD 10,000.

Ilustrado was selected from shortlist of five, including Kavery Nambisan's The Story That Must Not be Told, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi's The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay, Yu Hua's Brothers, and Alfred A. Yuson's The Music Child.

Read an excerpt from Ilustrado here.

Labels: contests, man asian, novels, philippine literature, writers

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

5:50 PM | Chuck and Krip Move on to the Final Round of Man Asian

As I had expected (although I admittedly still kinda hoped against hope, hehehe), yours truly didn't make it to the final round of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize, but I am astounded and very happy that two -- TWO! -- Filipinos made it to the short list.

I think this is enough of a stimulus to have the rest of the world start looking into the Philippines and take it seriously as a country brimming with great literature. Here's the press release from the Man Asian organizers:

Kavery Nambisan, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi, Miguel Syjuco, Yu Hua and Alfred A. Yuson are the five authors selected for the shortlist by the judging panel for the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize, the leading regional prize for a novel unpublished in English. The winner of the prize will be announced on Thursday, 13 November 2008 at a ceremony in Hong Kong.

The five shortlisted works, chosen from a longlist of 21, are Kavery Nambisan (The Story that Must Not be Told), Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi (Lost Flamingoes of Bombay), Miguel Syjuco (Ilustrado), Yu Hua (Brothers), and Alfred A. Yuson (The Music Child).

The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, chair of the panel of judges for the prize, said: “All the books breathe with a vibrant sense of what the Asian world is today – modern, yet connected to tradition, aware of change but saturated with the past. I really had the sense that I could feel the living vibrant worlds these novels describe.”

”Reading the shortlisted books, I was struck, above all, by their passionate engagement with contemporary realities in India, China and Philippines. They are primarily concerned, as literary novels must be, with the fate of the individual, but they do not exclude or reduce to a mere backdrop the tumultuous changes in Asian societies. By reckoning with these massive social and political dislocations, they recreate the vitality and urgency of the European novel in the 19th century and Latin American Literature in the 20th. I came away from my reading of the longlisted books thinking that Asia may increasingly provide, to the world's literature as well as to its political economy, the all-important stimulus,” said Pankaj Mishra, one of the three judges.

The winner will receive USD 10,000 and can look forward to publication and wider recognition in the English-reading world. There is additionally a USD 3,000 award for the translator (if any).

The judging panel for the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize is: Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada (Chair); Nicholas Jose, writer, scholar and former Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in China; and Pankaj Mishra, acclaimed Indian writer and thinker.

The Man Asian Literary Prize was established in 2006 to bring greater worldwide attention to Asian writing and authors. The inaugural prize was awarded in November 2007 to Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong, and which was published in English to great acclaim in early 2008. Several short- and longlisted works of the 2007 Prize have since been published.

Congratulations to Chuck and Sir Krip! And please bring home that prize.

And now that the pressure is finally off my shoulders, I'm going off to edit -- brutally -- my novel before I send it for possible publication. Tada!

POST-SCRIPT:

The Guardian has a story on the short list. Although it focuses on the sole Chinese candidate, it contains quotes from Chuck, and one of them goes: "This whole Man Asian Prize hullabaloo suggests maybe my literary experiments and ideas -- which many people have suggested I compromise but which I refused to - are not misguided. Perhaps now I can share my work with the world. I also hope the Man Asian Prize will help spotlight the writing of my Filipino countrymen."

Amen.

Labels: contests, philippine literature, writers, writing

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Friday, August 29, 2008

11:17 AM | Sillimanian Writers in the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards

Three Silliman University alumni bagged top prizes in the 2008 Philippines Free Press Literary Awards.

Dumaguete-based poet and fictionist Cesar Ruiz Aquino won First Prize for Poetry for “Jerahmeel,” Manila-based poet Marjorie Evasco nabbed Second Prize for Poetry for “Luna’s Lost Earrings,” and Copenhagen-based novelist Lakambini Sitoy won Third Prize for the Essay for “The Sound of Silence is Not a Vacuum.”

The other winners for the essay were Wilfredo O. Pascual, who won first prize, and L. Lacambra Ypil, who won second prize. For poetry, Lourd de Veyra won third prize. For the short story, first prize went to F.H. Batacan, while the second and third prizes went to Celeste Flores Coscolluela and Amado Bajarias, respectively.





The judges for short fiction and the essay were Dean Francis Alfar, Vicente Groyon III, and Katrina Tuvera, while the judges for poetry were Alfred Yuson, Marne Kilates, and Victor Peñaranda.

Aquino is currently a member of the faculty of the Silliman University Department of English and Literature, while Evasco, who is the 2008 Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee for Creative Writing, is with De La Salle University. Sitoy, a former president of Silliman’s student government, recently taught at the Negros Oriental State University, but is now currently writing a novel in Denmark. Sitoy’s Sweet Haven has also been long-listed in the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize, which is considered as the Asian Booker Prize.

“The poem is composed of 14 lines and 2 stanzas, and I wrote it for the poetry and dance collaboration project with Myra Beltran for last year’s Frida Kahlo Centennial of the Instituto Cervantes and the Embassy of Mexico,” says Evasco of her winning poem.

The Philippines Free Press Literary Awards is one of the oldest and biggest literary prizes in the country.

The recognition goes to what are adjudged as the best literary works in English by Filipino writers culled from the annual crop published in the magazine. First handed out in 1949, its roster of winners have included many of the giants of Philippine literature, including National Artists Nick Joaquin, Francisco Arcellana, Edith L. Tiempo, and N.V.M. Gonzalez, and other writers including Kerima Polotan Tuvera, Mig Alvarez Enriquez, Gregorio C. Brillantes, Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Bienvenido N. Santos, Estrella Alfon, Wilfrido Nolledo, Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez, Erwin Castillo, Renato Madrid, Resil Mojares, Ninotchka Rosca, Alfred Yuson, Tita Lacambra Ayala, Emmanuel Lacaba, Lina Espina Moore, Gemma Cruz Araneta, Federico Licsi Espino Jr., and Cirilo F. Bautista. Silliman writers have been regularly included in the winning roll announced every year, and top prizes have gone to such locally-trained writers as Edilberto K. Tiempo, Roberto Montebon, and Timothy Montes.

The awarding ceremony was held last August 27 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati.

The Philippines Free Press Magazine, one of the country’s oldest news magazine, is celebrating its Centennial this year.

[dean has some photos]

Labels: contests, dumaguete, magazines, philippine literature, silliman, writers

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Thursday, August 07, 2008

1:10 PM | Palanca Awards 2008

It's mid-August and the grapevine is buzzing...



















... and the list will grow.

(Update: I think the blocks of pictures above make more sense arranged this way...)

And oh, yeah. I got the letter from the Palanca Foundation a few hours ago. My story "Things You Don't Know" won First Prize for the Short Story in English (yipee!) -- and I was quite ecstatic, even if I was (still am) very sick from the relentless August heat. That story was an experiment in minimalism and tone. Tone, especially. One of the judges, upon learning the identity of all the winners, texted me a few minutes ago: "We thought a woman wrote it!" Hehehe, well I kinda channeled Migs Villanueva when I was writing it. So, thank you, Migs!

[And who are those happy people above? By rows, from the top, left to right: Miguel Syjuco, Norman Wilwayco, yours truly, fellow Baguio kumag Tara FT Sering, Nadine Sarreal, Rommel Rodriguez, fellow Sillimanian Francis Macansantos, fellow Baguio kumag Ana Maria Katigbak, fellow Purple Patcher Marie La Viña, Mikael Co, adopted Baguio kumag Jose Claudio Guerrero (what a butch name!), Ina Stuart Santiago, Jhoanna Lyn Cruz, Jing Panganiban-Mendoza, Michael Coroza, Eugene Evasco, Celestine Trinidad, fellow LitCritter Kate Aton-Osias, fellow Baguio kumag Allan Derain, Maria Clarissa Estuar, Percival Intalan, Floy Quintos, Debbie Ann Tan, Allan Lopez, Peter Solis Nery, Michiko Yamamoto, Emman de la Cruz, Dennis Marasigan, Macariu Tiu, Edgar Godin, Lilia Tio, fellow Sillimanian Leoncio Derriada, Danilo Antalan, Ariel Tabag, Aurelio Agcaoili. Winners we all know so far, anyway. They're mostly great friends, so it will be grand company come September 1 in the Manila Pen. Dean -- who does this every year -- has the unofficial list... and disclaimer.]

Labels: contests, palanca, philippine literature, writers

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