All the processes and events connected to the Guyana Prize for Literature 2023 concluded on May 3, when the curtains closed on the 2024 Literary Festival. There were multiple sessions of performance, exhibitions, discussions and readings, but the main event was the Awards Presentation Ceremony at which the Prime Minister Hon. Mark Phillips, standing in for the President, handed out the awards to the Prize Winners in Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Non-Fiction and the Youth Awards.
In significant contrast to previous trends, locally resident writers dominated the awards. Of the six major Prizes, only two went to overseas based writers – the Guyana Prize for Drama and the Prize for the Best First Book of Poetry (the Youth awards are only available to local residents). Most of the second and third place winners are overseas.
Two writers in 2023 were first time winners (Fiction and Non-Fiction), while in Poetry and Drama the winners have had multiple awards. One of the Youth winners also had a prize last year.
