FULL LIST: Winners of the 68th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature

A total of 54 writers on Friday were officially conferred their prize during the 68th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City.

This year saw 28 initiates to the prestigious list of awardees. 

Notable awardees include Early Sol. A Galang, who won first prize in the Short Story - Hiligaynon category and third prize in the Maikling Kuwentong Pambata category (Filipino Division), and Joe Bert Lazarte, who won first prize in the Short Story category (English Division) and second prize in the One-Act Play category (English Division).

Columnist Alfred “Krip” Yuson was the night's guest of honor and recipient of the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi “for his contributions to the Philippine Literary Scene, including novels, poetry collections, short fiction, essays, and children’s stories."

Yuson has amassed 13 Palanca awards in his career as a writer and was inducted to the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2001.

Columnist Alfred A. Yuson receives the Gawad ng Dangal ng Lahi from Mrs. Sylvia Palanca-Quirino (left), Mrs. Criselda “Dang” Cecilio-Palanca (right), and Mr. Carl Anthony S. Palanca at the 68th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature

“Die Beautiful” director Jun Robles Lana this year served as the head of the panel for Dulang Pampelikula (Filipino Division). 

In an interview with GMA News Online, Lana said that for many of the industry veterans, Palanca is where they began and attending the awarding ceremony is a particular treat for seasoned writers to reunite.

He added, “We’re really excited to welcome the young talents, new winners, and young Filipinos who are also dreaming about making it big one day, whether as a screenwriter, a fictionist, or a poet. This (remains) the biggest, most prestigious award-giving body as far as Philippine literature is concerned.”

According to Lana, Palanca is all about talent, brilliance, discovering new voices, and “sometimes breaking the rules and making us veterans understand and see that there are other ways to tell a story.”

“There are people who say that if you want to join the Palanca, if it’s one-act play, dapat socially relevant — that’s not true,” Lana explained, “We want to believe that, because we want to win a Palanca.”

To win, Lana said that a writer must know what she or he wants to say. It’s not about the plot or the narrative, he said and revealed, “ang importante ‘yong kaluluwa ng manunulat.”

“I always tell my students or anybody who wants to make it in the industry or win a contest like the Palanca.... siyempre ang pinaka-importante ay what’s the story that you want to tell? You have to be very passionate about it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a story that’s been told, as long as you’re very passionate about it, I’m sure that you will find a different way of telling the story.

“And then second, why are you telling the story? ‘Yon ang pinaka-importante. Ano ‘yong rason mo talaga kung bakit mong isulat ‘yong kuwento na ‘yon? Ano ang nag-da-drive sa’yo?”

The full list of winners follows: 

KABATAAN DIVISION

KABATAAN SANAYSAY:
1st Prize: Jack Lorenz Acebedo Rivera, “Paglaya Mula sa Pagtakas”    
2nd Prize: Jacob Renz R. Ambrocio, “Sino ang Lumansag sa Lunday ni Lola Basyang?”
3rd Prize: Maria Jamaica S. Columbres, “Gulugod sa Pagsibol ng Binhi”

KABATAAN ESSAY:
1st Prize: Floriane T. Taruc, “Worlds Behind Words”
2nd Prize: Jaz Varon Villanueva , “Boundless”
3rd Prize: Jana Gillian Ang, “A Passage to Reading”
 
FILIPINO DIVISION

MAIKLING KUWENTO:
1st Prize: Eugene C. Soyosa, “Gina”
2nd Prize: Andrew A. Estacio, “Ang Kanonisasyon ng mga Santa Santino”
3rd Prize: Luna Sicat Cleto, “Tatlong Proposisyon ng Puting Hangin”
           
MAIKLING KUWENTONG PAMBATA:
1st Prize: Jerwin Eileen G.C. Tarnate, “Ang Higad at ang Paru-paro”
2nd Prize: Eugene Y. Evasco, “Siyap ng Isang Sisiw”
3rd Prize: Early Sol A. Gadong, “Maraming-Maraming-Marami”
 
SANAYSAY:
1st Prize: Engr. Gil A. Dulon Jr., “Amoral Ang Siyensya Subalit May Boses Din Ang Mga Maso”
2nd Prize: Adelma L. Salvador, “Kambak-kambak”
3rd Prize: Iza Maria G. Reyes, “Hindi Ako Dalisay”
 
TULA:
1st Prize: Paul Alcoseba Castillo, “Luna't Lunas”
2nd Prize: Mark Anthony S. Angeles, “Ang Babae sa Balangiga at iba pang Tula”
3rd Prize: Noel Galon, “Ang Bata sa Panahon ng Ligalig: Mga Tula sa loob at labas ng Bayan ng San Diego”

TULA PARA SA MGA BATA:
1st Prize: Paterno B. Baloloy Jr., “Paumanhin ng Kuting
2nd Prize: Will P. Ortiz, “Himbing na Kuting at iba pang Tula sa Ilalim ng Araw”
3rd Prize: Noel P. Tuazon, “Klik Madyik”
 
DULANG MAY ISANG YUGTO:
1st Prize: Michelle Josephine G. Rivera, “Kaharian ng Pinto”
2nd Prize: Maynard Gonzales Manansala, “Tao Po
3rd Prize: Allan B. Lopez, “River Lethe”
 
DULANG GANAP ANG HABA:
1st Prize: Walang nagwagi 
2nd Prize: Walang nagwagi
3rd Prize: Rolin Cadallo Obina, “San Nicolas (Ang Sarsuwela)”
 
DULANG PAMPELIKULA:
1st Prize: James Ladioray, “11 Septembers”
2nd Prize: Arden Rod B. Condez, “John Denver Trending”
3rd Prize: Andrian M. Legaspi, “Pandanggo sa Hukay”
 
REGIONAL DIVISION

SHORT STORY – CEBUANO:
1st Prize: Januar E. Yap, “Baradero”
2nd Prize: Dave T. Pregoner, “Sunog”
3rd Prize: Leoncio P. Deriada, “Dili Baya ko Bugoy”
 
SHORT STORY – HILIGAYNON:
1st Prize: Early Sol A. Gadong, “Sa Lum-ok Sang Imo Suso”
2nd Prize: Alice Tan Gonzales, “Haya”
3rd Prize: Dulce Maria V. Deriada, “Candelaria”
 
SHORT STORY – ILOKANO:
1st Prize: Ariel Sotelo Tabag, “Gasanggasat”
2nd Prize: Paul Blanco Zafaralla, “Sarming”
3rd Prize: Jaime M. Agpalo Jr., “Nakakidem-a-Simumulagat”
 
ENGLISH DIVISION

SHORT STORY:
1st Prize: Joe Bert Lazarte, “Describe the Rapture”
2nd Prize: Francis Paolo M. Quina, “Pigs”
3rd Prize: Matthew Jacob F. Ramos, “The Final Bullet”
 
SHORT STORY FOR CHILDREN:
1st Prize: No winner 
2nd Prize: No winner
3rd Prize: Maryrose Jairene Cruz-Eusebio, “I have Two Mothers”
 
ESSAY:
1st Prize: Jefry Canoy, “Buhay Pa Kami:  Dispatches from Marawi”
2nd Prize: Ronnie E. Baticulon, “Some Days You Can't Save Them All”
3rd Prize: Chuck D. Smith, “Origin Story”
 
POETRY:
1st Prize: Rodrigo V. Dela Peña Jr., “Self-portrait with Plastic Bag”
2nd Prize: Shane Carreon, “The Gods who Dissolved under our  Tongues and other Poems”
3rd Prize: Jose Luis B. Pablo, “To Desire in Liturgy”
 
POETRY WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN:
1st Prize: Maria Amparo Nolasco Warren, “Lola Elina Maria's Savory-Sweet Cookbook of Poetry”
2nd Prize: Sigrid Marianne P. Gayangos, “Of Monsters, Math and Magic”
3rd Prize: Roselle Eloise B. Bunayog, “Brave, Undying Warriors”
 
ONE-ACT PLAY:
1st Prize : Katrina M. Bonillo, “Burying Mamang in Sugar”
2nd Prize: Joe Bert Lazarte, “Senator Pancho Aunor's Blue Balls of Despair and Disillusionment”
3rd Prize: Luciano Sonny O. Valencia, “Leavings”
 
FULL-LENGTH PLAY:
1st Prize: Beryl Andrea P. Delicana, “Mango Tree”
2nd Prize: Patrick James M. Valera, “Symphony”
3rd Prize: Dominique La Victoria, “Toward the Fires of Revolution”

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature is considered the gold standard in writing excellence in the Philippines.

The Palanca Awards was established in 1950 and as of September 1, 2018 boasts a collection that consists of 2,441 works. — LA, GMA News