Barbadian Brian Franklin has won the top prize of BDS$10,000 (One BDS$=US$0.50 cents) in the 28th Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Competition (FCLE), the Central Bank of Barbados (CBB) announced on Monday.
It said that his fiction entry ‘Steal the Fish from the Devil’s Cou-Cou’ also copped the Prime Minister’s Award, which is presented to the work which, in the opinion of the judges, portrays Barbados and its culture in a way that leads to reflection and fresh insight about this country. Retired university lecturer, Professor Jane Bryce, won the BDS$7,500 second prize with her fiction prose ‘How to Find Your Way in the Air,’ while Akim Goddard’s ‘Is Only We Know: Where the Cane Grows Wild’ took third place, earning him BDS$5,000.
The bank said that two other finalists, Randicia Kellman and Kemar Doughty, received developmental scholarships valued at BDS$4,000 each for ‘In the Company of Women’ and ‘The Hanging Tree – A Short Story Collection,’ respectively.
‘These scholarships will allow them to further hone their craft by working with experienced editors. In the spoken word competition, which was judged live during the ceremony, Cyndi Celeste claimed the BDS$5,000 first prize, while Mark Yearwood and Lafonn Miller placed second and third, earning them BDS$2,500 and BDS$1,500, respectively.
‘Each literary work produced by a Barbadian adds another thread to our cultural fabric. Together, these works form a living archive of who we are: our humour and heartbreak, our contradictions and convictions and our capacity for beauty even in the face of adversity,’ said Deputy CBB Governor Elson Gaskin.
‘Literature allows us to preserve these truths and pass them forward, ensuring that future generations inherit lived experiences and not just history books’ he added.
The CBB began the FCLE’s literary competition in 1997 and forms part of the CBB’s long-time commitment to supporting the arts and culture in Barbados.