For the first time since its inception, the overall winner’s spot for the annual Wadadli Youth Pen Prize is being shared by two talented writers — Cheyanne Darroux and Andre Warner, who competed in the seven to 12 and 18 to 35 categories, respectively.
The Wadadli Pen competition has been held annually since 2004, giving writers an avenue to flex their talents by using their creative freedom, and pieces must have a Caribbean flavour, a release said.
“This year, Wadadli Pen received 57 entries. Overall the judges were impressed with the level of creativity and enjoyed the judging process which in some cases separated finalists by a mere few points,” it added.
In the seven to 12 category, Cheyanne Darroux of Golden Grove Primary School placed first, Ciara Thomas of Sunnydale Primary School was second, and Zaniah Pigott of Island Academy was third. Sienna Harney-Barnes of St Nicholas Primary received an honourable mention.
The top three in the 13 to 17 age group were D’chaiya Emmanuel of Antigua Girls’ High School, William Henderson of St Anthony’s Secondary School, and Aria-Rose Browne, also of St Anthony’s, whileJudah Christian of Antigua Grammar School received an honourable mention.
Andre Warner topped the 18 to 35 category, followed by Lehana Simon in second place, and Sethson Burton in third.
Andre Warner was also awarded a special prize for his climate change-themed submission, while the school with the most entries was Sunnydale Primary. The writers in the winner’s circle will receive a mix of prizes including cash, gift certificates, books, and others. A full prize breakdown and winning stories have been posted to http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com
