MANILA, Philippines–Young writers nationwide are encouraged to express their creativity through short stories and poetry written in the Ilocano, Cebuano, Bicolano and Maranaw languages.

In an Oct. 8 memorandum, Education Secretary Armin Luistro encouraged students, aged 12 to 17, to submit entries for the Timpalak (Competition) Uswag Darepdep of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF).

“Uswag” in Cebuano means to advance while “darepdep” in Ilocano is imagery.

The contest, open to all students from both public and private schools, aims to showcase the rich imagination and creativity of Filipino children from the different regions and to discover new literary talents.

According to Luistro, the competition also aims to encourage the creation of regional literature by young writers who may submit short stories and poems in their own languages.

In encouraging the students to write in any of the four languages, the KWF also hopes to enrich Filipino as a language through literature.

At stake are medals as well as P10,000 cash for first prize, P5,000 for second prize and P3,000 for third prize.

Entry forms as well as the list of other requirements are available on the agencys website, www.kwf.gov.ph, or on its Facebook page.–Jeannette I. Andrade