THE My Marianas Writing Contest will continue as scheduled, according to a news release from the Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
On Monday, Variety reported that the council had to terminate some programs because its funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities was abruptly cut by the Trump administration last week.
The My Marianas Writing Contest was “paused,” but Variety learned on Tuesday that the contest will continue as planned.
“It’s a program that will end this month and the expense is only the prize money,” the council’s executive director, Leo Pangelinan, said. “We normally use donations from the community [to fund the prizes].”
He said the competition judges also volunteer their time to read the entries, of which there are dozens.
The My Marianas Writing Contest is an annual writing challenge that offers cash prizes to winning entries. It is open to all CNMI high school students.
This year’s theme is “Threads of Tradition,” which challenges writers to “reflect on their personal cultural values and traditions shaping their individuality and identity,” a news release stated.
The contest prizes are $500 for 1st place, $400 for 2nd place, and $300 for 3rd place.
The Humanities Council is asking students to write about a time in their lives when they realized that their “heritage and particular traditions” shaped the person they are today.
The contest submission deadline is April 11.
For more information, email info@nmhcouncil.org/.
