New winners in Frank Collymore Literary Competition

Eight writers will receive awards from the seventh annual Frank  Collymore Literary Competition in an Awards Ceremony on  Saturday, January 8, 2005 in the Inner Courtyard of the Tom  Adams Financial Centre. These awards are funded by the  Central Bank of Barbados, who established the Frank Collymore  Literary Endowment in 1998 to assist in the promotion of the  literary arts in Barbados.

The best three writers from a list of nearly thirty entrants to the  competition sponsored by the Central Bank of Barbados, will  share BDS$20,000 in prizes. Two of the prizes will go to  first-time winners. The panel of judges also found four other  entries worthy of honourable mention.

For the third consecutive year, a writer will receive the Prime  Minister’s Award. Initiated by the Right Honourable Owen Arthur,  this award is presented to an entry that strongly deserves  recognition and encouragement for quality of writing; and that  reflects on Barbadian culture and identity in an original and  provocative way.

Endowment Chairman, Andy Taitt, said that the judges were  especially challenged this year by a number of writers willing to  experiment both with form and content. “Several times we had to  stop and revise our first impressions,” the Chairman said, “to ask  ourselves if a writer was trying to do more than we had at first noticed. And even where the work did not eventually reach the standard we hoped for, it is refreshing to see writers with the  courage to take chances and go beyond the usual. Especially  where the stakes are so high.”

The judges noted that the Frank Collymore Literary Competition,  named for one of the most important figures in West Indian  literature, continues to attract a wide range of talented writers,  and to serve an important function in identifying the strengths  and needs of writers in Barbados.

Dr. Peter Laurie, a writer and retired Permanent Secretary in the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will deliver the feature address at the  awards ceremony.  The winners will read excerpts from their  works.