The Philippine Nurses Association of the UK and Ireland is launching its Annual PNA UK Short Story Writing Contest beginning January 2008.

The annual contest is a part of the association’s cultural awareness and Filipino identity promotion program among the huge OFW community living abroad.

The primary objective of the contest is to help promote literature, cultural and creative thinking in the migrant worker in the context of UK environment and trends and to enable the individual to share this in writing. Aimed at highlighting the OFW as a truly world-class Filipino, the contest stands to be the first of its kind in the UK Filipino community. The ambition of the project campaign is to expand opportunities for the writers, readers and possible publisher of the stories.

It is further hoped that the contest will continue to serve as a reminder for the Filipino individual of the cultural roots and modern social adaptation in a literary environment. The award endeavours to focus on the life of the overseas national in the United Kingdom. The project is open to all overseas Filipino, British-Filipino and Mixed-Filipino national who have mainly come to the UK to work and/ or live permanently. All entries must be between 6,000 to 10,000 words. Deadline for submission of entries is on 30 April 2008.

The PNA UK Annual Short Story Writing Contest is fully endorsed and supported by the Philippine Embassy in London and by various Filipino business establishments. For more entry and sponsorship information, please visit the website at www.pnauk.org.uk where complete information can be found. Alternatively, please email [email protected].

[Sent by Michael Duque, president of the Philippine Nurses Association of the UK]