A STUDENT from UST Education High School (EHS) and two Thomasian alumni were among those awarded at the 73rd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
EHS Grade 10 student Euna Oraiz bagged the third prize for Kabataan Sanaysay with her piece Suki Ako ng Pagod. Launched in 1998, the Kabataan division is open to Filipino or English essays written by authors below 18 years old. This year’s theme is “Mabilis na Binabago ng AI ang Pang-araw-araw na Pamumuhay.”
Jan Dennis Destajo, an Architecture graduate, won the first prize for Poetry with his collection Translocation. UST High School alumnus Christopher Cabahug’s Ang Birheng Ipinagkanulo also won a gold medal for the Dulang Pampelikula category.
Some Artlets professors and alumni vetted the works in this year’s competition.
From the Faculty of Arts and Letters’ (AB) Creative Writing department, Prof. Augusto Antonio Aguila, Assoc. Prof. Nerisa Guevara and Assoc. Prof. Ralph Semino Galan were among the judges for the categories Short Story, Dulang May Isang Yugto and Essay, respectively.
Former UST Department of Filipino faculty member Asst. Prof. Eros Atalia headed the judges for Maikling Kwento, while Prof. Michael Coroza from the University of the Philippines, also an alumnus of AB Philosophy, evaluated submissions for Tula.
Former The Flame editors-in-chief Elmer Gatchalian and Jose Wendell Capili served as the panelists for Dulang May Isang Yugto and Poetry, respectively.
This year marks the diamond jubilee of the literary award, which was established on Sep. 1, 1950 to promote education and culture in the country.
A total of 2,359 works were submitted, 58 of which were given awards.
The awards night was held at the Manila Polo Club, Forbes Park, Makati City. F
