Sands & Coral awards winners of fiction, essay writing competition

PHOTO: Paul Donaire (First place for Essay), Arn Malto (Second place for Fiction), Job Paculba (First place for Fiction, and Second place for Essay), Angela Fabunan (representative for Creative Writing Center), Dr. Mae Villordon (College of Arts and Sciences Dean), Andrea Soluta (Adviser of Sands and Coral), Dr. Warlito Caturay (Department of English and Literature Chair), Isabel Torres (co-editor of Sands and Coral 2022), Yudi Santillan III (co-editor of Sands and Coral 2022), Pia Villareal (co-editor of Sands and Coral 2022).

Sands & Coral, Silliman University’s literary journal, awarded six students as winners of its fiction and essay writing competition, October 9, 2022 at Katipunan Hall.

The writing contest was launched last October 6, accepting entries for Essay and Fiction exploring the folio’s current theme: “Hope, Transformation, and Rebuilding after the Pandemic.”

Present to award the certificates and cash prizes were the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Chairperson of the English and Literature Department, and a representative from the Creative Writing Center. The first place winners received PHP 1,500; the second place winners received PHP 1,000; and the third place, PHP 500.

The winners are as follows:

Essay Writing

First place: Lawyering in the COVID-19 Pandemic by Paul Donaire (Department of Anthropology & Sociology)

Second place: Facing Life, Mask On by Job Paculba (Institute of Clinical Laboratory Sciences)

Third place: Buoyancy by Zarelle Villanzana (Senior High School)

Fiction Writing

First place: Whispers of the Waves by Job Paculba (Institute of Clinical Laboratory Sciences)

Second place: There by Arn Malto (Senior High School)

Third place: Inertia by Maria Calunod (Institute of Rehabilitative Sciences)

Through this competition, the Sands & Coral team aimed to encourage Sillimanians to contribute to one of the country’s oldest literary folios first published in 1948.

Regular submissions to the issue are still accepted until November 15. Aside from essay and fiction, poetry, non-fiction, artwork, photos, and graphic narratives are welcome. Submission guidelines are found here.

(With reports from the Sands & Coral team)