UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies
The biggest winners at the 71st Palanca Awards
BY SUSAN CLAIRE AGBAYANI PUBLISHED NOV 28, 2023 2:34 AM
Nicole Angala Shy
“We all say awards don’t mean anything until you win them. And [winning a] Palanca award is a great honor. It’s a great institution,” said Miguel Antonio Alfredo Luarca, whose full-length plays in both English and Filipino won in the 71st Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. The ceremony was held on Monday, Nov. 27 at the Philippine International Convention Center.
“The winning entry for the Dulang Ganap ng Haba titled Nekropolis is a dystopic play which I wrote in the U.S., and was staged by Tanghalang Pilipino in April this year,” said the playwright also known in theater circles as “Guelan.”
Luarca’s other winning entry, Dogsblood, won first place in the Full-Length Play category. “It’s an adaptation of Ajax—an imagined future, post-Duterte. Very bleak. [It’s about] a policeman whose eyes are slowly opened to the realities of the drug war; and how it’s a war against the poor, and it’s a political tool to neutralize the enemies of the administration,” he told PhilSTAR L!fe in an online interview.
“These two plays were crafted here in the U.S. My classmates have read these works, and have commented on them and critiqued them. My teachers are all excellent. I am learning so much,” continued Luarca, who is completing his MFA in Playwriting at Hunter College City University of New York.
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The 71st Palanca Awards took place on Monday, Nov. 27. Nicole Angala Shy
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71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historical PICC
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dotdailydose
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature celebrated its 71st year, holding the awarding ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center as part of its National Heritage Series.
This year, it added 30 new names—first-time awardees—in its prestigious list of the most prolific Filipino writers, poets, and playwrights. A total of 54 contestants received awards in 20 writing categories in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages. Literary luminaries handpicked from their fields evaluated the 1,405 contest entries submitted.
Gracing the night as Guest of Honor and Speaker is award-winning children’s author, columnist, and radio host Luis P. Gatmaitan, M.D. Inducted into the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame in 2005, Dr. Gatmaitan expands his profession as a physician to write children’s storybooks addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, childhood ailments, and children’s rights, among others. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television that oversees the implementation of a child-friendly landscape in Philippine Television.
Adding to his multiple local and international accolades was the night’s Gawad Dangal ng Lahi, a special citation granted by the Palanca Awards to those who have contributed immensely to the development of Philippine literature and have aptly become role models for Filipinos.
Named after businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr. and sponsored by the Carlos Palanca Foundation Inc., the Palanca Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious literary competition in the country. It upholds the tradition of extending incentives for writers to continuously cultivate Philippine literature. A Palanca medal or recognition is highly coveted in the Filipino writing community here and abroad.
Since 1951, the Palanca Awards has conferred medals and certificates to a total of 2,526 Filipino authors, 26 of which became Hall of Fame awardees for having five first prize-winning works. In championing literature, the Palanca Awards also serves as a treasury of our literary gems, currently holding a total of 2,617 winning works in its archives, spanning the years 1951 to 2023.
Following is the list of winners of the 71st Palanca Awards:
Read more ...
71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historic PICC
BY CONTRIBUTOR ON NOVEMBER 28, 2023
THE CARLOS Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature celebrated its 71st year, holding the awarding ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center as part of its National Heritage Series.
This year, it added 30 new names—first-time awardees—to its prestigious list of the most prolific Filipino writers, poets, and playwrights. A total of 54 contestants received awards in 20 writing categories in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages. Literary luminaries handpicked from their fields evaluated the 1,405 contest entries submitted.
Gracing the night as Guest of Honor and Speaker is award-winning children’s author, columnist, and radio host Luis P. Gatmaitan, M.D. Inducted into the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame in 2005, Dr. Gatmaitan expanded his profession as a physician to write children’s storybooks addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, childhood ailments, and children’s rights, among others. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television, which oversees the implementation of a child-friendly landscape in Philippine Television.
Adding to his multiple local and international accolades was the night’s Gawad Dangal ng Lahi, a special citation granted by the Palanca Awards to those who have contributed immensely to the development of Philippine literature and have aptly become role models for Filipinos.
Named after businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr. and sponsored by the Carlos Palanca Foundation Inc., the Palanca Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious literary competition in the country. It upholds the tradition of extending incentives for writers to continuously cultivate Philippine literature. A Palanca medal or recognition is highly coveted in the Filipino writing community here and abroad.
Since 1951, the Palanca Awards has conferred medals and certificates to a total of 2,526 Filipino authors, 26 of whom became Hall of Fame awardees for having five first prize-winning works. In championing literature, the Palanca Awards also serves as a treasury of our literary gems, currently holding a total of 2,617 winning works in its archives, spanning the years 1951 to 2023.
Following is the list of winners of the 71st Palanca Awards:
Read more ...
54 writers win at the 71st Palanca Awards
By: Adrian Parungao - www.twitter.com/@inquirerdotnet @inquirerdotnet
INQUIRER.net / 03:45 PM November 28, 2023
MANILA, Philippines — The awarding ceremony for the 71st Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature was held on Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center.
Fifty-four winners across 20 categories in English, Filipino, and other Philippine regional languages were lauded. All in all, there are fifty-six winning works this year.
Below are the winners of the ceremony:
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71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historical PICC
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Newcomers make up over half of this year’s Palanca winners
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PRESS RELEASE
71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historical PICC
NOVEMBER 27, 2023 ─ The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature celebrated its 71st year, holding the awarding ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center as part of its National Heritage Series.
This year, it added 30 new names—first-time awardees—in its prestigious list of the most prolific Filipino writers, poets, and playwrights. A total of 54 contestants received awards in 20 writing categories in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages. Literary luminaries handpicked from their fields evaluated the 1,405 contest entries submitted.
Gracing the night as Guest of Honor and Speaker is award-winning children’s author, columnist, and radio host Luis P. Gatmaitan, M.D. Inducted into the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame in 2005, Dr. Gatmaitan expands his profession as a physician to write children’s storybooks addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, childhood ailments, and children’s rights, among others. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television that oversees the implementation of a child-friendly landscape in Philippine Television.
Adding to his multiple local and international accolades was the night’s Gawad Dangal ng Lahi, a special citation granted by the Palanca Awards to those who have contributed immensely to the development of Philippine literature and have aptly become role models for Filipinos.
Named after businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr. and sponsored by the Carlos Palanca Foundation Inc., the Palanca Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious literary competition in the country. It upholds the tradition of extending incentives for writers to continuously cultivate Philippine literature. A Palanca medal or recognition is highly coveted in the Filipino writing community here and abroad.
Since 1951, the Palanca Awards has conferred medals and certificates to a total of 2,526 Filipino authors, 26 of which became Hall of Fame awardees for having five first prize-winning works. In championing literature, the Palanca Awards also serves as a treasury of our literary gems, currently holding a total of 2,617 winning works in its archives, spanning the years 1951 to 2023.
Following is the list of winners of the 71st Palanca Awards:
Read more ...
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CARLOS PALANCA MEMORIAL AWARDS FOR LITERATURE
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Palanca Awards) was established in 1950 to commemorate the memory of 
Don Carlos Palanca, Sr. through an endeavor that would promote education and culture in the country.
The Palanca Awards aims to develop Philippine Literature in the following manner:
- By providing incentives for writers to craft their most outstanding literary works;
- By being a treasury of the Philippine’s literary gems from our gifted writers; and
- To assist in their eventual dissemination to our people, particularly students.
In 1950, the Palanca Awards called on Filipino fictionists to weave their best short story in either English or Filipino.
Over the years, the Palanca Awards continues to challenge writers to express their creativity in the following literary genres:
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1950 – Short Story Maikling Kuwento 1953 – One-act Play Dulang May Isang Yugto 1963 – Poetry Tula 1975 – Full-length Play Dulang Ganap ang Haba 1979 – Essay Sanaysay 1980 – Novel Nobela 1989 – Short Story for Children Maikling Kuwentong Pambata |
1990 – Teleplay Dulang Pantelebisyon 1994 – Screenplay Dulang Pampelikula 1997 – Short Story – Iluko Short Story – Cebuano Short Story – Hiligaynon 1998 – Kabataan Essay Kabataan Sanaysay 2000 – Futuristic Fiction (English) Futuristic Fiction (Filipino) 2009 – Poetry Written for Children Tula Para sa mga Bata |
As of 1 September 2024, the Palanca Awards collection consists of 2,677 winning works composed of 685 short stories, 432 collections of poetry, 274 essays, 406 one-act plays, 234 full-length plays, 60 teleplays, 86 screenplays, 201 stories for children, 34 futuristic fiction stories, 139 student essays, 51 novels, and 75 collections of poetry written for children, in the English, Filipino, Regional Languages, and Kabataan Divisions.
Instituted in 1995, the Palanca Hall of Fame award is presented to a Palanca awardee who has achieved the distinction of winning five first prizes in the regular categories.
The Kabataan Award of Distinction is a separate honor awarded to persons below 18 years of age who have won four first prizes in the Kabataan division.
The Palanca Awards continues to pursue avenues that help share these literary gems with the rest of the world. They are now accessible to students, researchers, and all lovers of literature at the CPMA Research Facility and on the official CPMA website at www.palancaawards.com.ph.
To date, four (4) anthologies of award-winning poetry, short fiction and one-act plays have been published. The first set of anthologies in English and Filipino was printed in 1976, composed of Palanca Award winning works from 1950-1970. It was then followed by three separate anthologies of one-act plays, short stories, and poetry that won in the 1980s, with Filipino volumes issued in 1990 and English volumes in 2000. These anthologies have also been donated to university libraries.
Citations and awards conferred on the Palanca Awards are:
- “Tanging Parangal” in the Gawad CCP para sa Sining in 1992
- “Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas” by the Unyon ng Manunulat sa Pilipinas in 1993
- The UNESCO, in the celebration of its 50th year in 1995, included the Palanca Family and the Palanca Awards in the UNESCO List of Living Human Treasures of Artists, Writers and Artisans
- “Plaque of Appreciation” from the Philippine Board on Books for Young People in 1995
- Anvil Merit Award in 1997
- CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999
- “Gawad Tanglaw ng Lahi” by the Ateneo de Manila University in 2001
- Special Citation for the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards Anthologies by the Manila Critics Circle in 2001
- Appreciation to the Carlos Palanca Foundation for its Scholarship Grant in Creative Writing by the University of the Philippines in 2002
- “Gawad Pagkilala” by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino in 2004
- Anvil Merit Award in 2012
Born of a simple dream to help develop Philippine literature, the Foundation holds steadfast to its mission of providing nourishment for the national spirit.