The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport is pleased to make interested Guyanese aware of two prestigious prizes currently being offered for two competitions launched by the Bolivarian  Alliance for our Americas (ALBA), the South American grouping originated in Venezuela. They are the ALBA Prize in Literature and the ALBA Prize in Arts for “works of a lifetime in 2011”.
The competitions are being held under the auspices of ALBA’s Cultural (ALBA Grannacional) Project
The prizes will go to creators who have constantly dedicated their lives and work to enrich the Latin-American and Caribbean cultural heritage through original contributions in any literary genre and art expression, and who have outstandingly contributed to enhance the common and, at the same time, diverse values which conform to our peoples’ community, favouring our people’s emancipation and their cultural decolonization.
The nominations to the prizes should be submitted by associations of writers and artists, universities and academic institutions, regional cultural entities and others identified with the spirit of these prizes. In every case, some basic information about the nominating entity should be submitted.
The entries should be presented in legal form subscribed by the named authority and specifying the prize she/he is being nominated in (Literature or Arts).  They must include a properly substantiated short biography of the nominee.
The jury, one for both prizes, will be comprised of outstanding personalities of the Latin-American and Caribbean culture.
For further information: www.albacultural.org.  Deadline for the submissions of nominations is December 30, 2011.