NCCA calls for 2021 NCCA Writers’ Prize entries

By NG Seruela

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is accepting entries for the 2021 NCCA Writers’ Prize up to July 31 this year.

The 2021 NCCA Writers’ Prize is a biennial award with a total prize worth ₱250,000 awarded to five writers of selected Philippine languages, one for each category: poetry, novel, essay/creative non-fiction (CNF), short story, and drama.

According to the NCCA, the award will assist the grantees during the one-year writing stage of the project, after which the manuscript must be submitted to the Commission. 

All Filipino writers aged 18 and above are eligible to submit their entries and the following requirements:

•         Accomplished official entry form;
•         Applicant’s curriculum vitae;
•         Three to five-page concept paper discussing the rationale and significance of the project; 
•         One copy of the initial output of the project which shall be submitted in PDF format.

The categories for this year, and the required initial output, are:

• Poetry  (Manobo): 10 poems, one poem per page
• Novel (Ilokano): first 50 pages
• Essay / CNF (Kapampangan): three (3) essays with a minimum of 2,000 words per essay
• Short Story (Chavacano): three (3) stories with a minimum of 2,000 words per story
• Drama (Filipino): One-act for a full-length drama, or two one-act plays

After a year, the awardees/grantees must submit the following completed output:

• Poetry  (Manobo): At least 30 poems
• Novel (Ilokano): minimum of 50,000 words
• Essay / CNF (Kapampangan): At least 12 essays with minimum of 2,000 words per essay
• Short Story (Chavacano): At least 12 stories with minimum of 2,000 words per story
• Drama (Filipino): Full-length drama of at least three acts, or five one-act plays

See the other details here.

All entries should be addressed and submitted to the following:

NCCA WRITERS’ PRIZE Secretariat: nccawritersprize2021@gmail.com

Policy / Plan Formulation and Programming Division (P/PFPD) – Arts Section

National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)

For more information kindly visit the NCCA website:

National Commission for Culture and the Arts – A Filipino people with a strong sense of nationhood and deep respect for cultural diversity. (ncca.gov.ph)