GAPENA Launches 55th Anniversary Writing Competition On Nationhood Theme

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The National Writers’ Associations of Malaysia (GAPENA) has launched the GAPENA 55th Anniversary Writing Competition, running from today until Oct 22 next year, to inculcate interest among writers and encourage the production of high-quality creative works.

The competition, themed “Maruah dan Kedaulatan Bangsa” (Dignity and Sovereignty of the Nation), aims to nurture writers whose works contribute to nation-building and demonstrate creativity with strong social impact.

In a statement, GAPENA said the contest serves as a platform for producing literary works that engage with national and identity-related issues, while encouraging poets and writers to create poetry, short stories and novels centred on themes of nationhood.

“It also seeks to prompt writers to explore and portray contemporary issues, including politics, economics, technology, religion, and the social and cultural fabric of Malaysia’s multiracial and multireligious society, as well as relevant regional and international matters,” it said.

The competition is open to all Malaysians, with submissions required to be in the Malay language. Three categories are offered: poetry, short stories and novels.

For the poetry category, each submission must comprise a collection of 40 poems of free length, while the short story category requires a collection of 12 short stories. For the novel category, manuscripts must be between 80,000 and 100,000 words and include a synopsis of about two pages.

The submission deadline for all categories is 11.59 pm on Oct 22 next year.

GAPENA stressed that all entries must be original works and must not be translations, adaptations, imitations, or generated using artificial intelligence (AI), or otherwise deemed non-original.

“Submissions must also avoid sensitive elements related to religion, race, sexuality, law and the Federal Constitution, among others,” it said.

Winners stand to receive cash prizes of RM20,000 for first place in the poetry and short story categories, and RM25,000 for first place in the novel category, along with certificates and additional prizes.

Entry forms and detailed competition guidelines are available via GAPENA’s official link at https://drive.google.com, while further inquiries can be directed to the competition secretariat, Nurul Nabilah Zainal Abidin, at 011-2909 4725.

-- BERNAMA