< strong > Young people show their talent at Rosa María Britton National Counting Competition < / strong >

A total of 26 stories were received with an open call to participate in the first version of the Rosa María Britton National Youth Counting contest, organized by the Ministry of Culture (MiCultura) to promote literary creation among youth between the ages of 13 and 17 and who conduct studies at the national or private schools.

The Jury composed of Luigi Lescure, Briseida Bloise and Héctor Aquiles González, have ruled in favor of the following tales: "La memoria de los centuries," written by Mariel Fuentes, 17 years old from Las Tablas, Province of Los Santos, "Ciclos de legidad," from the office of Kenneth Contreras Rodriguez, 16 years old representing Boqueta in Province of Chiriquí and "Liam," from Simja Jael Marshal, with 17 years old, residing at Cerro Bahea Province, Province of Panama, to assign them to first, second and third place, respectively.

That contest that honors the memory of the outstanding and prolific Panamanian writer, winner of six Ricardo Miró awards in the categories of novel, tale, theater and author of more than 15 works, forms part of the new literary contest that MiCultura launched by 2023, to extend the literary offer and give opportunities to new talent of writers.

According to the decision of the Jury "The memory of centuries," that obtained first place, and submitted under the pseudonym Terruños is a tale that makes a reflection of how technologies dehumanizes human emotions, where its author María Fuentes, a student at the Universidad Manuel Tejada Roca, manages the issue of artificial intelligence as well as resort to elements of humour and suspense.

It should be noted that the young Kenneth Contreras Rodriguez, who earned second place, is a student at the International Boquet Academy and Simja Jael Marshal, who was selected for third place, and a student at the Bilingual Academy Panama.

The evaluating committee of the 26 jobs agreed that it was interesting to observe in the jobs put forward, recurring issues such as solitude, abandonment, up-to-date technology, and to feel insecure, indicating that youth have things to say and feel from literature.

Planning and designing induction workshops to bring the new generations closer to the mastery of storywriting techniques was part of the recommendations expressed by the Jury for the Ministry of Culture to consider as preparations for the competitions that have been organized.