The winning manuscript of the Novels for Youth Literacy Contest was announced to be ‘Bejn il-Kmiem’, which was submitted by Leanne Ellul.

Ellul was given a trophy and certificate commemorating her achievement as well as a prize of €1,000 along with a €2,000 subsidy to be used for publishing the novel with a publishing house of her choice. Ellul’s work was praised by the adjudicators for her very good command of Maltese and the way in which her novel dealt with current themes in a fresh way.

The winner was announced during a ceremony presided over by the Minister for Education and Youth Clifton Grima along with the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth Keith Azzopardi Tanti.

Minister Grima said that this contest is another platform through which work is being conducted to grow the country’s literacy sector. He said that the Maltese language is rich and that more initiatives must continue being brought forward in order to strengthen the language. “Our work must continue so that the Maltese, from young to old, recognise and appreciate more the beauty of the Maltese language which is the greatest means of identity of a people,” Grima said.

Parliamentary Secretary Azzopardi Tanti said that programs such as this result in more interest in Maltese culture and identity. He said that it is important to embrace and appreciate what makes us Maltese. “Our language is a cultural heritage that we want to preserve also through literature,” he added, “Young people have the deputy to ensure that this happens.”

He said that thanks to initiatives such as this, the availability of Maltese writing for young people is being increased and the opportunity is being given for more local authors to write and publish their work.

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 criteria established which included story development, character development, originality, language, and quality.

The contest was organised in collaboration between the National Book Council and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, who officially renewed their collaboration during the ceremony and launched the 2024 edition of the contest. The 2024 edition submissions will be open between the 23rd of January and the 30th of August.

The application, criteria and guidelines will be accessible from the National Book Council and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ websites beginning on the opening date for submissions.