Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Collection Of Kankana-ey Poems By Writer From Sagada Wins NCCA Writers' Prize

A writer/poet from the tourist town of Sagada in Mt. Province was announced as the winner in the Poetry: Kankana-ey Language category of the NCCA Writers' Prize. Gawani Domogo Gaongen earned the recognition for Sukat, a collection of poems penned in the Kankana-ey language. Gaongen received the certificate of recognition from Felipe M. De Leon Jr. (Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts) and Christine Godinez Ortega (Chairman of the NCCA's National Committee on Literary Arts) during an event recently held at Barbara's Heritage Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila. Gaongen received the certificate wearing the traditional Igorot attire.

Gaongen is one of three winners announced by the NCCA. The other two winners are Estelito Jacob in the Novel: Rinconada Language category and Ritchie Pagunsan in the Drama: Kinaray-a Language category. The winners will receive a writing grant amounting to 250,000 pesos which will assist them during the writing stage of their projects. The writing grant is part of the NCCA's mission to directly foster the development and growth of Filipino literature. The NCCA Writers' Prize is staged every two years.

Gaongen has one year to write and complete the collection of Kankana-ey poems. When completed, the manuscript should contain at least 30 poems
Image credit: National Commission fro Culture and the Arts
What is the NCCA Writers' Prize?
"The NCCA Writers’ Prize is a biennial award given to five (5) writers, one for each category. For 2015, the award will be given to following categories: Poetry (Kankana-ey language), Novel (Rinconada language), Essay (Meranao language), Short Story (Kapampangan language) and Drama (Kinaray-a language). The award, in the gross amount of TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (PhP250,000), will assist the winner during the writing stage of the project. The award is good for one year, after which a manuscript of the writing project will be submitted to the NCCA for possible publication or staging." [Source]