THE Northern Marianas Humanities Council has announced the winners of this year’s My Marianas Writing Contest.
The contest was launched on March 4 and was open to all high school students in the CNMI. The theme was food and family.
All contest participants were tasked to skillfully use imagery to describe the dish or food celebration that best represents how they bond over food with their families, describing why and how the dish brings them together, as well as sharing the experience of cooking the dish from start to finish.
Aleia Hofschneider Santos topped the competition with her piece, “My First Love” which won the $500 first prize.
Lemusu Kit A To’omata received $400 for her second-place entry, “Picky Eater,” while Honey Satur placed third and won $300 for her essay, “The Story of an Egg.”
There were over 60 submissions, and they were judged through two rounds of scoring.
The council “thanks the judges for their careful reading and scoring of essays, the students whose writings provide a window into the diverse experiences in our community and families, and to their parents and teachers for their support and encouragement.”
The judges were attorney Mike White, attorney Gin Smith, University of Guam Dean Lawrence F. Camacho, EdD, Saipan Tribune editor Jayvee L. Vallejera, Marianas Variety editor Zaldy Dandan, Northern Marianas College instructors Ajani Burrell and Adam Walsh.
To view the top three entries, visit nmhcouncil.org
