The deadline of the 58th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature is extended to 12:00 midnight of May 5, 2008 (Monday). This was announced by the contest sponsor, Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc.

Entries with complete requirements should be submitted to the Carlos Palanca Foundation’s new office at 6th Floor, One World Square Building, #10 Upper McKinley Road, Mickinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, 1634 Taguig City.

Works may also be entered online through the Palanca Awards website at www.palancaawards.com.ph or sent through e-mail at palancaawards@yahoo.com, except novel and screenplay.

For further information, please call telephone number 856-0808.

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Writers planning to join the 58th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the country’s most prestigious and longest-running literary contest, will have until 12:00 midnight of April 30, 2008 to submit their entries.

The Palanca Awards is currently accepting entries under the following categories: Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, One-act Play, Full-length Play, Screenplay, Novel, and Kabataan Essay. The Kabataan Essay is Palanca Awards’ special category for young writers below 18 years old. This year’s theme for the Kabataan Essay is “A foreign visitor has only one day to spend here in the Philippines. Where should this visitor go that day and why?” for the English division and “May isang dayuhan na isang araw lamang ang ipananatili sa Pilipinas. Saang lugar siya sa araw na iyon dapat pumunta at bakit?” for the Filipino division.

The competition is open to all Filipino (or former Filipino) citizens, except current officers and employees of the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc.

Complete submissions must include the following documents: duly accomplished Official Entry Form; Authorization Form; Consent Form (if applicable); an original and three (3) copies of the entry; a soft copy (diskette copy or e-mail) of the entry; and the author’s full resume. All necessary documents must be complete at the time of submission. Entries sent by mail or courier should be postmarked not later than April 30, 2008.

Works may also be entered online through the Palanca Awards website and must include scanned copies of the following requirements: Official Entry Form; Authorization Form; Consent Form (if applicable); and the author’s full resume. Online transmission time should not be later than 12:00 midnight of April 30, 2008 and must have official confirmation of receipt through the website. A complete submission through mail or courier, however, must also follow, and should also be postmarked not later than April 30, 2008.

Entries must be addressed to the Board of Judges, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, and should be submitted to the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc. office at the 6th Floor, One World Square Building, #10 Upper McKinley Road, Mickinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, 1634 Taguig City.

Contest Rules and Official Entry Forms are available online at http://www.palancaawards.com.ph. Winners will be announced on September 01, 2008.

For more information, you may email palancaawards@yahoo.com or call telephone number 856-0808.

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Aspiring and established authors alike who wish to share their works toward the development of Philippine Literature may now submit their entries for the 2008 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.

Regarded as the country's most prestigious and longest-running literary contest, the Palanca Awards’ search for promising Filipino writers has generated an impressive roster of literary luminaries.

Established in 1950 in honor of Don Carlos Palanca Sr., the competition aims to help develop Philippine Literature by providing incentives for writers to craft their most outstanding literary works, as well as be a treasury of the Philippines' literary gems.

The literary contest is open to all Filipino (or former Filipino) citizens, except current officers and employees of the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc. Aspiring writers may submit works under the following eight (8) categories: Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, One-act Play, Full-length Play, Screenplay, and Novel. Each author, however, may submit only one entry per category.

The awards have three divisions – English, Filipino and Regional Languages (Hiligaynon, Iluko and Cebuano). Works may be submitted in either English or Filipino for all categories except Screenplay, which is open only in the Filipino division, while the Regional Languages division is open only in the Short Story category.

This year's theme for the Kabataan Essay, Palanca Awards’ special category for young writers below 18 years old, is "A foreign visitor has only one day to spend here in the Philippines. Where should this visitor go that day and why?" for the English division and "May isang dayuhan na isang araw lamang ang ipananatili sa Pilipinas. Saang lugar siya sa araw na iyon dapat pumunta at bakit?" for the Filipino division.

Contest Rules and Official Entry Forms are available at the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc., 6th Floor, One World Square Bldg., 10 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Deadline of submission of entries for this year's awards is midnight of April 30, 2008. Winners will be announced on September 01, 2008.

For more information, you may email palancaawards@yahoo.com or call telephone number 856-0808.

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While it takes most artists and writers years of heartbreaks and disappointments before making it big in the literary circle, the road to success is relatively shorter and easier for Carlos Piocos, the first place awardee for the Tula (Poetry in Filipino) category of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature 2007, outperforming writers his senior both in age and experience.

And he is just warming up.

At only 23 years old, Piocos, a Masters student at the University of the Philippines Diliman, is one of the youngest winners in the major categories of this year’s Palanca Awards. He now joins the field of veteran poets, who have received recognition from the same institution and other credible literary bodies here and abroad.

Piocos’ collection of poems “Corpus,” which delves into the lives of a historian, an undertaker and a poet won critical acclaim among the Palanca judges.

“I really feel privileged, honored (about the award) but it was really unexpected. I never expected to win this early,” Piocos admitted.

“Being in the same level as my senior counterparts is such an honor,” he noted.

GRABBING OPPORTUNITIES

Piocos would not have joined the Palanca awards if not for the prodding of family and friends.

For him, writing poetry is more about self-expression rather than an attempt for recognition.

“Poetry is an attempt to find a language, to put feelings into words during a vulnerable moment of a poet,” Piocos stressed, admitting however that winning a Palanca gives him a sense of affirmation as an artist.

“All writers are seeking some degree of affirmation and Palanca gives you that. It is not about the prize or the compensation,” Piocos added.

EARLY DISAPPOINTMENTS

Although shorter, the road to success for Piocos was not without setbacks.

Piocos recalls feeling down and depressed when, as a young writer, he failed to qualify in several fellowships for literature. He also tried his luck in English essay writing but failed to make the cut.

He also attempted to express his artistry through plays, but this too was not a bed of roses for Piocos. Last year, his entries in the “Tula” category of the Palanca Awards did not make it to the winners list.

“I was really humbled by my earlier experiences. All along, I thought my creations were good enough but then I realized that there are still areas I should work on,” Piocos added.

It was only after he shifted to the Filipino medium that Piocos felt comfortable with his writing, effectively translating his feelings to words.

“Writing in our language worked better for me. I think that my works in Filipino were more heartfelt and really mirrored my emotions,” he said.

FUTURE WORKS

With his success early on, Piocos intends to pick up where he left off. Piocos is now writing several poetry pieces in Filipino, which he intends to compile into a book.

Piocos is cognizant of the fact that his peers in the literary world will scrutinize his works after his Palanca win; but, just like before, he said competing shall not be his main intention for writing.

After all, for Piocos, writing poetry is not meant to impress but rather to deliver the utmost desires and feelings of a poet.

“Writing is not for any kind of recognition. It is an abstraction of ideas and self expression,” he said.

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Compelling literary works, for some artists, are produced out of vivid imagination, while others are inspired by merely observing the everyday rustics. But for Nicolas Pichay, the latest Hall of Fame awardee in the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, compelling and effective literary pieces are best derived from one’s heart and experiences.

Pichay's entry “Tres Ataques de Corazon” or “The Angina Monologues,” which delivers a poignant storytelling of three people suffering various problems of the heart, bagged the top prize in the 2007 Full-length play category in Filipino of the prestigious Palanca literary tilt.

The winning play starts with the character of Che Un, an overweight chef, who struggles with the unfamiliar territory of falling in love with his assistant cook. The second part tells of Lawrence Cruz, a self-confessed homosexual who juggles his time between two relationships. The last part of the Filipino play delves on the life of a retired public school teacher hell bent in entering American soil to rendezvous with his bed-ridden 62-year old Filipina fiancé.

The award is Pichay's fifth top prize in the Palanca Awards, which merited him a place in the Hall of Fame alongside renowned literary figures. The other Hall of Fame awardees are:

• Rodolfo R. Lana, Jr. (2006)
• Manuel R. Buising (2005)
• Luis P. Gatmaitan (2005)
• Isagani R. Cruz (2004)
• Reynaldo A. Duque (2003)
• Leoncio P. Deriada (2001)
• Alfred A. Yuson (2001)
• Roberto T. Añonuevo (2000)
• Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr. (2000)
• Edgardo B. Maranan (2000)
• Elsa M. Coscolluella (1999)
• Ma. Luisa A. Igloria (1996)
• Cirilo F. Bautista (1995)
• Gregorio C. Brillantes (1995)
• Ruth Elynia Mabanglo (1995)
• Buenaventura S. Medina, Jr. (1995)
• Jesus T. Peralta (1995)
• Rolando S. Tinio (1995)
• Rene O. Villanueva (1995)

While it obviously took the award-winning playwright great effort to complete the literary piece, Pichay needed not look far to find the inspiration to start the piece in the first place.

His latest literary masterpiece mirrors his own plight as Pichay himself had to conquer his own problems of the heart. He underwent triple bypass surgery in 2005 and even had to battle cancer the following year. Although he conceived of the monologues long before he was diagnosed of heart problems, the opportunity to translate his own ordeal into literature was hard to miss.

“Everybody was asking what happened to you, what happened to you? So I kept on repeating it. In the process of repeating it, I realized it could be a good monologue piece," Pichay stressed.

But more than the usual ailments of the heart, one problem that is surely difficult to ignore, Pichay said, is the changing of hearts and preferences of Filipinos, away from literature.

Pichay observes that most Filipinos today are more concerned about the advancing forms of communications and they are lacking attachment to history.

“There is a confluence of elements that seem to deprive young people or even old people of what I call a sense of originality. They dress up like Americans. They eat like Americans. They don’t read,” Pichay stressed.

Pichay is encouraging Filipinos to trace back the roots of Philippine literature and find inspiration in them.

As for his recent triumph in the field of literature, Pichay admits that bagging the top prize in the full-length play in Filipino category of the Palanca Awards is always a good feeling.

“If you win a Palanca, it means you are somebody to be reckoned with,” Pichay said admitting however that there is no cut out pattern for winning a Palanca. Instead, one has to listen to his own voice and then carefully weave his ideas into a carefully executed work of art.

“Storytelling is about how to tell your story and the discovery of your own voice. Better writing is writing that has a theory behind it. And the theory has to be wrapped in a voice,” Pichay adds.

Labels: Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, Press Release

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On its 57th year, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the country’s premier literary awards, honored this year’s winners in 18 categories in the awards ceremony held at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City with Senator Mar Roxas as the guest speaker.

Senator Mar Roxas who has been described as “one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs” is known for his advocacies on quality education, livelihood programs, information technology, consumer welfare, and good governance.

Sen. Roxas was conferred with the Palanca Awards’ Gawad Dangal ng Lahi during the event.

Multi-awarded playwright and poet, Nicholas B. Pichay, became the 20th Palanca Hall of Fame awardee after winning his fifth first prize with his Filipino full-length play entry, Tres Ataques de Corazon.

The list of winners for this year’s Palanca Awards, half of which are first-time winners, include:

Filipino Division

Dulang Pampelikula
1st – Miguel G. Alcarazen (Prisoner Alpha)
2nd – Marlon G. Manuel (Kolono)
3rd – Renei Patricia E. Dimla (Katay)

Dulang Ganap Ang Haba
1st – Nicolas B. Pichay (Tres Ataques De Corazon)
2nd – Edward P. Perez (Apuntador)
3rd – Rodolfo C. Vera (Ang Mga Huwad)

Dulaang May Isang Yugto
1st – Christopher D. Martinez (Our Lady of Arlegui)
2nd – Jose Dennis C. Teodosio (Baka Sakali)
3rd – Lateya P. Bucoy (Ellas Inocentes)

Sanaysay
1st – Annalyn L. Leyesa (Bahay-Bahayan)
2nd – Ma. Jovita E. Zarate (Sa Hulo't Libis Ng Aking Bayan)
3rd – Maribel Bagabaldo-Frasure (Stet)

Kabataaan Sanaysay
1st – Anna Larisa Victoria U. Vega (Ang Huling Ngiti Ng Pagkalinga)
2nd – Mary Anne Jelli E. Gaza (Isang Siglo, Isang Dekada't Isang Taon)
3rd – Kathleen Teresa M. Ramos (Tatawa Na 'Yan)

Tula
1st – Carlos M. Piocos III (Corpus)
2nd – Rebecca T. Añonuevo (Paglingon Sa Pag-Asa At Iba Pang Tula)
3rd – Renato L. Santos (Sosy, Atbp....)

Maikling Kuwentong Pambata
1st – Sheila Gonzales-Dela Cuesta (Junior)
2nd – Joachim Emilio B. Antonio (Ang Ampalaya Sa Pinggan Ni Peepo)
3rd – Michael M. Coroza (Imibisibol Man Ang Tatay)

Maikling Kuwento
1st – Allan Alberto N. Derain (Paputian Ng Laba)
2nd – Jerome B. Gomez (Desperately, Susan)
3rd – Dana Batnag (D Bampyr Chronicles...O Kwento Ng Mga Tao Sa Bayang Walang Hope)

Regional Division

Maikling Kuwento - Cebuano
1st – Merlie M. Alunan (Pamato)
2nd – Ferdinand L. Balino (Absent, Ma'am)
3rd – Noel P. Tuazon (Kundat Sa Unang Gugma)

Maikling Kuwento - Hiligaynon
1st – Peter Solis Nery (Candido)
2nd – Felino Salem Garcia, Jr. (Sa Hingapusan)
3rd – No Winner

Maikling Kuwento - Iluko
1st – Noli S. Dumlao (Dadapilan)
2nd – Bernardo D. Tabbada (Ti Danapidip Nga Addang Ni Manong Rod)
3rd – Aurelio S. Agcaoili (Alimpapatok Iti Panawen Ti Ariangga)

English Division

Full-Length Play
1st – Jorshinelle Taleon-Sonza (Pure)
2nd – Glenn Sevilla Mas (Games People Play)
3rd – Cynthia Lapeña-Amador (The Piano)

One-Act Play
1st – Debbie Ann Tan (Time Waits)
2nd – Joshua L. Lim So (Portraits)
3rd – Allan Lopez (Battery Park)

Poetry
1st – Mikael de Lara Co (Hands For A Fistful Of Sand)
2nd – José Edmundo Ocampo Reyes (Imaginary Numbers)
3rd – Dinah Roma-Sianturi (Geographies Of Light)

Short Story
1st – Angelo R. Lacuesta (Flames)
2nd – Douglas James Limpe Candano (Dreaming Valhalla)
3rd – Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo (Benito Salazar's Last Creation)

Short Story For Children
1st – Lakambini A. Sitoy (The Elusive Banana Dog)
2nd – Dean Francis Alfar (Poor, Poor Luisa)
3rd – Ian Fermin R. Casocot (The Last Days of Magic)

Essay
1st – Wilfredo O. Pascual, Jr. (Lost In Childrensville)
2nd – Rosalinda Lejano-Massebieau (Culture Shocked: A Story of Recovery)
3rd – Allan J. Pastrana (The Lady's Train)

Kabataan Essay
1st – Cristina Gratia T. Tantengco (Humor, Faith, Bayanihan and Kayod: Survival Tools For The 21st Century Filipino)
2nd – Juan Emmanuel P. Batuhan (Sterling Pinoy)
3rd – Hannah L. Co (Adaptability)

Established in 1950 to honor Don Carlos Palanca Sr., the Palanca Awards aims to serve as an incentive for Filipino writers to craft their outstanding literary works; to serve as a repository of Filipino literary masterpieces, and its dissemination to the public especially students.

Labels: Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, literature, Press Release

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