THE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has issued a call for submissions for the Guyana Prize for Literature 2025, which will remain open until January 31, 2026, at midnight Guyana time.

All submissions should be made through the link provided on the ministry’s Facebook page and must be in a PDF format. To enter, persons must be Guyanese citizens and eligible works must be published between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.

Only one entry is allowed in each category, only entrants resident in Guyana are allowed to submit unpublished manuscripts and all published works are to be submitted by a publisher.

The youth category is open to Guyanese no older than 18 years and no younger than 14 years when the entry is made. In the case of drama, entries may be published books or unpublished play scripts and may be entered by any author resident in Guyana or overseas.

Additionally, the categories are fiction, poetry, non-fiction, drama, best first book of fiction, best first book of poetry. The youth categories are poetry and short story.

This edition’s prize/ awards are first place $1,000,000, second $500,000 and third $250,000. For the best first book (fiction/poetry) the prize is $600,000 and the person winning the publication award will receive $400,000.

Youth prizes/awards include first place which will see the recipient getting $150,000 cash; second place will receive $100,000, and third $50,000.

The Guyana Prize for Literature is a representation of the Guyana Government’s commitment to nurturing and preserving Guyana’s creative arts industry, and heritage.

In 2022, the ministry relaunched the Guyana Prize with newer categories, features and prizes.

This competition was first established in 1987 under then President, Desmond Hoyte, with the objective to recognise and reward the outstanding work of literature by locally based Guyanese authors and those abroad.

For additional information, persons can visit the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport on Facebook or send inquiries to guyanaliteratureprize@gmail.com