Palanca Awards is now accepting submissions for 76th edition

The Carlos Palanca Foundation has officially opened submissions for the 76th edition of the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.

In an announcement, the award-giving body said the competition is open to Filipino citizens and former Filipino citizens of all ages, whether based in the Philippines or abroad.

Writers may submit one entry each in the following categories:

• Novel and Nobela;
• English Division – Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, Poetry Written for Children, One-act Play, and Full-length Play;
• Filipino Division – Maikling Kuwento, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Sanaysay, Tula, Tula Para sa mga Bata, Dulang May Isang Yugto, Dulang Ganap ang Haba, and Dulang Pampelikula;
• Regional Languages Division – Short Story-Cebuano, Short Story-Hiligaynon, and Short Story-Ilokano;
• Kabataan Division – Kabataan Essay (English) and Kabataan Sanaysay (Filipino)

This year’s theme focuses how today’s youth can rise above differences, promote peaceful coexistence, and help build a society rooted in empathy, mutual respect, and collective progress amid growing ideological and social divides.

Eligible works include those first published or produced between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, as well as unpublished or unproduced works.

For the Novel and Nobela categories, which are opened every other year, published entries must have been first published between June 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026.

Only unproduced works may be entered in the Dulang Pampelikula category, while works that have already received prizes in other contests before midnight of June 30, 2026 are not eligible.

Submissions must be completed online through the official Palanca Awards website. Printed and email submissions will not be accepted.

The deadline for submission of entries is on June 30, 2026. Winners will be honored in a special ceremony later this year.

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature is the Philippine's longest-running and most prestigious literary competition. —Jade Veronique Yap/JCB, GMA News