To bring home a Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature is one of the highest honors any local writer can receive. This year, more than 54 writers earned that distinction after the Diamond Jubilee celebration held in Makati City on Nov. 26, 2025.

Competition was tough, with a whopping 2,359 entries to sift through and 57 judges eventually narrowing them down to 58 winning works. Some winners even came from our own line of contributors, with Bannawag writers Lito P. Hilidon and Prudencio G. Padios receiving the second- and third-place awards in the Ilocano short story category for their pieces “Ti Bannuar Ti Barrio Tabueng” and “Fireplace.” This marked Lito’s first win and Prudencio’s second.

Other notable figures that graced the special night include Dr. Ruth Elynia D. Mabanglo, who was introduced as the Guest of Honor and Gawad Dangal ng Lahi Award. She is known for uplifting women’s voices and advocating for social justice through her award-winning works and decades of mentorship. Her published works include “Anyaya ng Imperyalista,” “Gahasa at Iba Pang Tula,” and “Balada ni Lola Amita.” In her speech, she spoke about her long journey as a writer and the challenges she had faced along the way. She recounted how she had to take risks to open new doors, with one memory of her taking a demotion in her teaching job just to take a writing opportunity in Australia.

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature has been a widely celebrated occasion for Filipino literary artists since its establishment in 1950, created to honor the memory of Don Carlos Palanca Sr., a prominent businessman who owned the La Tondeña distillery (now known as Ginebra San Miguel). Since its founding, more than 2,634 authors have been recognized for their works. Notable winners over the years include Lualhati Bautista, Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, Ricky Lee, and Genoveva Dizon Edroza-Matute.