Young Writers Shine at Jamaica Book Festival Young Writers’ Prize Awards
Kingston, Jamaica – The Jamaica Book Festival (JBF) proudly celebrated the achievements of Jamaica’s emerging literary voices at the Young Writers’ Prize Awards, held at the Kingston & St. Andrew Parish Library. The ceremony honoured students who demonstrated resilience, creativity, and determination, even after the significant disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa.
This year’s competition received nearly 100 submissions from young writers across 10 parishes, from 33 schools, highlighting the depth of talent and the strong interest in creative expression among Jamaican youth. From these entries, 11 outstanding students were recognised for their excellence in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, marking a major milestone in the Festival’s ongoing mission to nurture young storytellers. The winning entries were selected by an outstanding field of judges including Efe Paul Azino of the Lagos International Poetry Festival, Melvina Hazard, Children’s Programme Manager for Bocas Lit Fest, and award winning Jamaican American writer, Keisha-Gaye Anderson.
The 2026 Young Writers’ Prize was proudly presented by title sponsors The Bloom Fund and the Universal Service Fund. The overall category winners each received a trophy, cash grant and a laptop to support their continued writing journey, while runners-up were presented with trophies, tablets and gifts in recognition of their achievement and dedication.
Festival Director Latoya West-Blackwood emphasised the broader importance of the initiative, stating, “This programme is especially meaningful in an age where we must be intentional about building a strong knowledge culture where our youth are creators, not mere consumers of innovation and contributors to national development. Our young people need creative outlets, and the Young Writers’ Prize offers a powerful platform to nurture talent, build confidence, and remind them that their voices matter.”
A special announcement was also made by Saeed Thomas, Founder of audiobook platform, Odiyo, who revealed that the company will renew its partnership with JBF to professionally produce and publish all winning pieces as an audio anthology. This opportunity will allow the young authors to share their stories with a wider audience and have global audiences experience their work in a new, accessible format.
Beyond recognising individual achievement, the awards ceremony underscored the Jamaica Book Festival’s continued commitment to youth literacy, creative development, and expanding access to platforms where young Jamaicans can tell their stories. As the Festival grows, initiatives like the Young Writers’ Prize remain central to its vision of strengthening Jamaica’s literary future.
The overall category winners were:
Fiction
Derron Williams, Belmont Academy
Miss Tiny’s Library Bus
Non-Fiction
Nathaniel Harris, Kingston College
The Bridges We Build
Poetry
Tianna Arnett, Immaculate Conception High School
She Eats Light (The Triptych)
Tianna’s Mother, Andrea Meikle, collected on her behalf.
Media Contact:
Joel Nomdarkham
Jamaica Book Festival
info@jamaicabookfest.com