Fiction story writers who are residents of Mindanao are invited to compete in the 3rd Satur P. Apoyon Tigi sa Mubong Sugilanong Binisaya. A contestant is allowed only one (1) entry. The story should be original (written by the contestant, in Bisaya/Binisaya), unpublished (not yet printed), and must not have won any awards or used as thesis or workshop material. The printed story must be from ten to twenty pages only (printed using Times New Roman font size 12 points on Letter-size paper with paragraphs printed in double-space).
Send entry to: The Public Relations Officer, Administration Bldg., U.P. Mindanao, Mintal, Davao City 8022. The entry envelope should contain: three copies of the story; a separate paper signed by the contestant stating that he/she is the author and that the story has not been published, awarded, or used as thesis or workshop material; and the contestant’s mailing address, e-mail, and cellular phone number.
An electronic copy of the entry in Rich Text Format (RTF) should be sent by email to: davaowritersguild-at-yahoo-dot-com-dot-ph (davaowritersguild@yahoo.com.ph).
Non-compliant entries will be disqualified. The criteria are: Language (25%), Technique (25%), Relevance (25%), and Overall Impact (25%). Cash prizes are: P5,000.00; P3,000.00; and P2,000.00, with corresponding Certificates of Award. Winners will be notified. The decision of the judges is final. The deadline for submission is 09 November 2015. This contest is organized by the Davao Writers Guild.
UP Mindanao Professor John B. Bengan (Dept. of Humanities) was awarded 1st Prize in the English Short Story Category of the 63rd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Prof. Bengan won for his short story, “Armor”, which was first published in Likhaan 6: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature, edited by Gemino H. Abad. “Armor” is set in Mintal, Davao City, and tells the story of Ronnie, a small time drug pusher and beautician/choreographer who joins a gay beauty pageant, and a stranger who arrives at the pageant night to alter the course of Ronnie’s fate. Prof. Bengan teaches literature and creative writing and is the third Palanca-winner in the present faculty roster of the Dept. of Humanities, after Prof. Ricardo M. de Ungria and Prof. Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz-Daliling. He earned his BA English degree in UP Mindanao and his Master of Fine Arts degree in The New School (New York).