The winning manuscript of the 2023 Youth Literature Competition is ‘Bejn il-Kmiem’, which was submitted by Leanne Ellul. The contest is organized in cooperation between the National Book Council (KNK) and Aġenzija Żgħaġa.
This was announced during a ceremony chaired by the Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima and the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research and Innovation Keith Azzopardi Tanti .
Congratulating both the winners and those who participated, Minister Clifton Grima said that this contest is another platform through which work is being done to grow the literary sector of our country. “The language of our country is rich and we want to continue to bring forward more initiatives through which we strengthen the Maltese language. Our work must continue to see that the Maltese, from the big to the small, recognize and appreciate more the beauty of the Maltese language which is the greatest means of identity of a people,” said Minister Grima. He also mentioned the work being done in schools for the sake of strengthening the Maltese language and for strengthening the Maltese identity.
Parliamentary Secretary Keith Azzopardi Tanti said that such programs give rise to more interest in our culture and identity, in this case through the Maltese language. “It is very important to embrace and appreciate what makes us Maltese. Our language is a cultural heritage that we want to preserve, also through literature,” continued Parliamentary Secretary Azzopardi Tanti. “Young people have the duty to ensure that this happens. Thanks to Aġenzija Żgħaġa and the National Book Council, we are increasing the availability of Maltese writing for young people and giving the opportunity for more local authors to write and publish their writing,” concluded the Parliamentary Secretary. .
Regarding the winning submission, the adjudicators pointed out that in the manuscript there is a lot of thought behind the texture of the novel, with the writer showing that she has a very good command of Maltese. The novel deals with current themes in an almost poetic and fresh way to the end that gives a sense of completeness and memorability. They also commented on the originality in style and experimentation, the relatable descriptions, the mentioned themes that young people experience, and the ability of the text to arouse curiosity, emotion and reflection in the reader, among others .
Leanne Ellul was given a trophy, a certificate and a prize of €1,000, as well as a subsidy of €2,000 to be used in the publication of the novel with a publishing house of her choice, after signing the publication contract.
The organizers of the contest thanked the members of the jury, Audrey Friggieri, David Aloisio and Roberta Bajada, who chose the winning manuscript from among submissions that were evaluated according to a set of established criteria, including the development of the story and the characters, the originality, the language, and the quality.
During the ceremony the KNK and Aġenzija Żgżażag officially renewed their collaboration and launched the edition of the Contest for the year 2024, which will receive submissions between January 23 and August 30 2024 at noon. The application, criteria and guidelines will be accessible from the KNK and Aġenzija Żgħaġa site on the opening date for submissions.
