BALANGA CITY — The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) launched Gawad Jacinto sa Sanaysay, its first-ever essay-writing contest for the Filipino youth and the indigenous languages that they use.
As part of the 2019 UNESCO declaration for the International Year for Indigenous Languages and the country’s annual celebration for the National Language Month this coming August, Filipino students, from grades 7 to 11, are encouraged to send in their essays tackling the importance of one’s native language and the knowledge that could be derived from it.
Entries, with 1,000 word limit, should be written in Filipino.
Winners will be receiving the following cash prizes: PHP20,000(first place), PHP15,000.00 (second place), and PHP10,000.00 (third place). Winning entries could also be published by KWF in the future.
The contest is named after Emilio Jacinto (1875–1899), revolutionary writer and also a member of the nation’s youthful roster of heroes. Jacinto was a teenager himself when he joined the Katipunan and wrote important documents like the Kartilya, Liwanag at Dilim, and Pahayag.
Deadline of entries is on 28 June. Winners will be recognized on KWF’s Pammadayaw, a thanksgiving ceremony happening on the 27th of August at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
For more information, visit kwf.gov.ph or call 736-2519.