72nd Palanca Awards inducts 4 new Hall of Fame awardees

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature made a grand return to the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) to celebrate its illustrious 72nd year. The prestigious event honored some of the country’s finest writers across various genres and categories and proudly inducted new additions to its Hall of Fame.

The Palanca Hall of Fame is an elite circle of awardees who have achieved the remarkable feat of winning First Prize five times, in any writing category. It now has 30 honorees following the inclusion of four distinguished writers, namely, Eros Sanchez Atalia, Mikael de Lara Co, Miguel Antonio Alfredo V. Luarca, and Joshua Lim So, cementing their legacy in Philippine literature.

The Awards also honored achievements across 22 writing categories, including the Novel and Nobela categories. Remarkably, 31 new names were recognized among a total of 54 awardees in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages. All entries were meticulously evaluated by a respected panel of literary luminaries.

Gracing the night as Guest of Honor/Speaker and Gawad Dangal ng Lahi awardee was Director Jun Robles Lana. An internationally acclaimed Filipino filmmaker, Lana boasts an impressive portfolio of local and international accolades, including 12 Palanca Awards prizes and his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2006. His award-winning films include “Anino sa Likod ng Buwan,” “Die Beautiful,” “Kalel, 15,” and “About Us But Not About Us.” Lana’s achievements underscore his immense contributions to both Philippine literature and cinema.

The Palanca Awards stands as the longest-running and most prestigious literary competition in the Philippines. It was named after the businessman and philanthropist Carlos Palanca, Sr. and sponsored by the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc. This esteemed event maintains a tradition of encouraging writers to nurture and develop Philippine literature. A Palanca medal or recognition is a highly sought-after honor within the Filipino writing community, both locally and internationally.

Since 1951, the Palanca Awards has honored 2,580 Filipino authors with medals and certificates. As a champion of Philippine literature, it also serves as a repository of literary treasures, boasting an archive of 2,677 winning works from 1951 to 2024.

Following is the list of winners of the 72^nd Palanca Awards:

KABATAAN DIVISION
KABATAAN SANAYSAY
1st Prize		Glorious Zahara Exylin C. Alesna	Dito sa Kanlungan ng Hiraya’t Katotohanan
2nd Prize		Raya T. Mitra	Sinulid at Buhay
3rd Prize		Lancelot MJ T. Edillor	Bura, Sulat
KABATAAN ESSAY
1st Prize		Brant Angelo S. Ambes	The Digital Snowball
2nd Prize		Ruth Mecanelle Magolhado	My Humanly Unhuman Friend
3rd Prize		Glorious Zahara Exylin C. Alesna	Some Things Must Never Change
FILIPINO DIVISION
MAIKLING KUWENTO
1st Prize		Mark Anthony Angeles	Gagambang-bahay
2nd Prize		Hannah A. Leceña	Siya si Ril
3rd Prize		Aljane C. Baterna	Ang Lungga
MAIKLING KUWENTONG PAMBATA
1st Prize		Christopher S. Rosales	Musikong Bumbong
2nd Prize		Brian James S. Camaya	Si Bambalito, ang Batang Bayani ng Bangkusay
3rd Prize		John Patrick F. Solano	Atang Para kay Nanang Toyang
SANAYSAY
1st Prize		Tomas F. Agulto	Tulambuhay ng Isang Makatang Laway
2nd Prize		David R. Corpuz	Autoetnograpiya ng Luksa
3rd Prize		Adelle Liezl Chua	Love Child
TULA
1st Prize		Mikael de Lara Co	Panayam sa Abo
2nd Prize		John Dave B. Pacheco	Paa, Tuhod, Balikat ng Tagakaulo: Higatang sa Pangil ng Pana-panahong Pagkalugmok
3rd Prize		John Brixter M. Tino	Dugo ng Aking Dugo
TULA PARA SA MGA BATA
1st Prize		John Romeo Leongson Venturero	Anak ng Baha! Mga Tulang Pambata
2nd Prize		John Michael G. Londres	Saklolo, Trak ng Bumbero!
3rd Prize		Eros Sanchez Atalia	Add to Cart at iba pang mga Tula
DULANG MAY ISANG YUGTO
1st Prize		Joshua Lim So	Pagkapit Sa Hangin
2nd Prize		Hans Pieter Luyun Arao	Vengeance of the Gods
3rd Prize		U Z. Eliserio	Ang Trahedya ni Bert
DULANG GANAP ANG HABA
1st Prize		WALANG NAGWAGI
2nd Prize		Miguel Antonio Alfredo V. Luarca	Ardor
3rd Prize		Andrew Aquino Estacio	Ka Amado
DULANG PAMPELIKULA
1st Prize		Andrew Bonifacio L. Clete	Championship
2nd Prize		Raymund T. Barcelon	Paglilitis
3rd Prize		Rian Jay G. Hernandez	Dobol
REGIONAL LANGUAGES DIVISION
SHORT STORY-CEBUANO
1st Prize		Michael Aaron Gomez	Pamalandong ni Antigo Mokayat
2nd Prize		Reynaldo A. Caturza	Anino
3rd Prize		Gracelda I. Lina	Maninibya
SHORT STORY-HILIGAYNON
1st Prize		Serafin I. Plotria, Jr.	Ang Liwat nga Paglupad ni Lolo
2nd Prize		Bryan Mari Argos	Labô
3rd Prize		Al Jeffrey L. Gonzales	Anagas, Anagas, Baylo ‘Ta Ngalan
SHORT STORY-ILOKANO
1st Prize		Neyo E. Valdez	Panaggawid
2nd Prize		Ma. Lourdes Ladi Opinaldo	Uram
3rd Prize		Prodie Gar. Padios	Anniniwan
ENGLISH DIVISION
SHORT STORY
1st Prize		Jan Kevin M. Rivera	Muted City
2nd Prize		Antonio Hernandez	The Man Who Sold Dignity
3rd Prize		Kiefer Adrian Z. Occeño	Bee Happy
SHORT STORY FOR CHILDREN
1st Prize		NO WINNER
2nd Prize		NO WINNER
3rd Prize		Edgar C. Samar	A Young Poet Dreams of a Hundred Words that Rhyme with Maynila
ESSAY
1st Prize		Lioba Asia E. Piluden	Ghost-hunting in Sagada
2nd Prize		Kara Danielle Eraña Medina	Another Hope Entirely
3rd Prize		Jade Mark B. Capiñanes	A Personal History of Sea Urchins
POETRY
1st Prize		Joel M. Toledo	Silangan
2nd Prize		Lyde Gerard Sison Villanueva	La Muerte De La Luz
3rd Prize		Ana Maria Segunda K. Lacuesta	We Are Not Yet Lost
POETRY WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN
1st Prize		Edgar C. Samar	Every Year, J Gained a Power
2nd Prize		Stacy Haynie Bolislis Ayson	Where are the Dinosaurs?
3rd Prize		Peter Solis Nery	Thirteen Ways of Looking at Books
ONE-ACT PLAY
1st Prize		Eljay Castro Deldoc	Unidentified
2nd Prize		Miguel Antonio Alfredo V. Luarca	The Impossible Dream
3rd Prize		Kenneth Theodore Cheng Keng	Line Up
FULL-LENGTH PLAY
1st Prize		Miguel Antonio Alfredo V. Luarca	Corridors
2nd Prize		Dustin Edward D. Celestino	Birdie
3rd Prize		Emilio Antonio Babao Guballa	The Echoist
NOBELA
Pangunahing Gantimpala	Eros Sanchez Atalia	Thirty Virgins
Natatanging Gantimpala	NO WINNER
NOVEL
Grand Prize	Lakan Ma. Mg. D. Umali	The Ferdinand Project
Special Prize	Michael Aaron Gomez	The People’s Republic of Negros

 

The 72nd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature by the numbers:

Total number of entries	1,823
Number of categories	22
Total number of judges	63
Total number of winning works	60
Total number of winners	54
New winners	31
Former winners	23
Male winners	41
Female winners	13
Age breakdown
20 and under	5
21-30	13
31-40	15
41-50	14
51-60	4
61 and above	3
Note: The youngest winner for this year’s contest is a 14-year-old female; the oldest winner is a 78-year-old male.
Total number of winners (authors) from 1951-2024	2,580
Total number of winning works from 1951-2024	2,677
Total number of Hall of Fame winners	30