Literary awards honour local creativity

The Minister of Community and Cultural Development, the Hon. R. Wayne Scott, JP, MP, and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs are pleased to announce the winners of the Bermuda Literary Awards 2012.

The winners are:

• The Brian Burland Prize for Fiction: Goree: Point of Departure by Angela Barry

• The Cecile N. Musson Prize for Poetry: The Beachcomber’s Report by Paul Maddern

• In the category of Non-fiction:  Bermuda and the Struggle for Reform: Race, Politics and Ideology, 1944-1998 by Walton Brown Jr.

• In the category of Drama:  Emancipation: A Love Story by Kim Dismont Robinson

• In the category of Children and Young Adult Literature, joint prize:

The Lost Island of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar

Daddy and I Explore... series by David Chapman

The Literary Awards were held on Sunday, March 24th at the Grotto Bay Hotel and the Acting Minister of Community and Cultural Development, the Hon. Leah Scott, JP, MP presented the awards to the winning recipients at the ceremony.

Although Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Folklife Officer Dr. Dismont Robinson was recognized for her contribution in the Drama category, she did not accept the cash prize because of her position within the Department.

The Bermuda Literary Awards were inaugurated by the Bermuda Government in 1999 to honour literary achievement by Bermuda’s writers. The Bermuda Literary Awards are administered by the Department of Community & Cultural Affairs. The aims of the Bermuda Government in offering these awards are:

• To recognize significant contributions to the development of Bermudian culture

• To honour creative works and uphold the writer’s role in society

• To preserve and promote the highest standards of Bermudian literature

Each of the awards carries a cash prize of $2,000.