THE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, yesterday, presented a $17M cheque to Secretary of the Guyana Prize for Literature Management Committee, Mr. Al Creighton, as a contribution to the preparation for the 2013 competition. The presentation took place in the Main Street, Georgetown office of the Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, on whose behalf the handing over was done by Director of Culture, Dr. James Rose.
Rose said advertisements have already been published, inviting entries for the contest.
He noted that the Guyana Prize was established in 1987 and is the country’s oldest acknowledgement of the creative arts.
Rose pointed out that it is a biennial act of recognition and, according to the pattern, must take place this year.

Very happy
Meanwhile, Creighton told the media that the committee is very happy to be moving forward moving with the rivalry. He pointed out that it is actually the Guyana Prize for Literature 2012 Award which will be handed over this year and the preliminary work towards it has already started.
“It is customary that the prize is for a particular year, in this case 2012 and the actual handing over would take place the following year, which is 2013,” he explained.
According to him, the Committee has acknowledged, over the years, that there is greater need for a developmental focus on the prize and the competition was intensified the last time it was conducted in 2011 for the 2010 prize.
Creighton disclosed that they intensified the developmental aspects of the prize, as well as the public outreach, so that, in 2011, there were several events associated with it, which were aimed at developing the art of writing and instruction and enlightenment in that context.
The University of Guyana (UG) Professor stated, further, that there were public lecture sessions on writing and the persons who came in from overseas, as administrators and judges of the prize as well as winners, participated in those activities, which were aimed at assisting the training of local writers.
Creighton said, this year, they have moved even farther and a series of workshops will take place prior to the closing date for entry, which is the end of February.

Make changes
He informed that this will enable writers to edit their work and make changes based on advice they may receive from the persons conducting these workshops.
“Local writers who have entered unpublished manuscripts have an opportunity to have those manuscripts edited, to have the work refined based on advice received in workshops and so on and, if necessary, entering them, again, in this Guyana Prize, so that unpublished manuscripts that had previously been entered and that have since been published will count as a first publication,” Creighton offered.
He said the Committee is very grateful that the Government of Guyana has, once again, ensured the contest for the prize continues through their financing.
The Guyana Prize for Literature was inaugurated by former President Desmond Hoyte in 1987, with a view to promoting the development of local literature.
Prizes are awarded in categories, including for best book of fiction, best first book of fiction, best book of poems, best first book of poems and best play.
Winners of the prizes have included Wilson Harris, Fred D’Aguiar, David Dabydeen, Pauline Melville, Ian McDonald, Cyril Dabydeen and Ruel Johnson.