Awards Honor the Power of Caribbean Representation and Literary Expression
The Caribbean Writer, the internationally acclaimed literary journal published by the University of the Virgin Islands, is proud to announce the prize winners featured in Volume 39, themed “Caribbean Literature: A Force of Representation.”
This year’s award-winning works capture the depth, diversity and vitality of Caribbean literary expression, demonstrating the power of writers to preserve memory, affirm identity, challenge perceptions and tell the stories of the Caribbean through distinctly Caribbean voices.
The honorees represent excellence across prose, poetry and Caribbean Nation Language, while reflecting the journal’s longstanding commitment to elevating established, emerging and culturally authentic voices from across the region and its diaspora.
The Daily News Prize
Lauretta Coumarbatch is the recipient of The Daily News Prize for her essay, “A Midwife for Julie: An Embarrassingly Touching True Story.”
Awarded to an author from the U.S. Virgin Islands or British Virgin Islands, The Daily News Prize recognizes excellence in prose and has been sponsored by the Virgin Islands Daily News for more than two decades. The longstanding award celebrates the literary talent and storytelling traditions of writers from the Virgin Islands.
The Marvin E. Williams Literary Prize
Yakima Cuffy is the recipient of The Marvin E. Williams Literary Prize for the poem “The Harmonica’s Tune.”
Awarded to a new or emerging writer, the prize is sponsored by Dasil Williams, wife of the late Marvin E. Williams, a former editor of The Caribbean Writer. The award honors his literary legacy by recognizing promising voices whose work contributes to the continuing growth and evolution of Caribbean literature.
The Vincent Cooper Literary Prize
Marcella Dublin is the recipient of The Vincent Cooper Literary Prize for “Di Dialect.”
The award recognizes exemplary writing in Caribbean Nation Language, a term associated with celebrated Caribbean poet and scholar Kamau Brathwaite to describe the vernacular languages shaped by the Caribbean’s distinct histories, cultures and lived experiences.
The prize is sponsored by Professor Vincent Cooper, a longtime member of The Caribbean Writer’s Board of Editors, Rhodes Scholar, author and poet. Through its celebration of Caribbean Nation Language, the award affirms the legitimacy, artistry and cultural power of the languages through which Caribbean people tell their own stories.
“These writers remind us that representation is about more than being seen; it is about having the power to tell our own stories, in our own voices and through the languages and experiences that define us,” said Alscess Lewis-Brown, editor of The Caribbean Writer. “The Volume 39 prize winners beautifully reflect the breadth of Caribbean literary expression—from memory and lived experience to poetry and Nation Language. We congratulate Lauretta Coumarbatch, Yakima Cuffy and Marcella Dublin and celebrate the important contributions they are making to the Caribbean literary tradition.”
Published by the University of the Virgin Islands, The Caribbean Writer is an international literary journal dedicated to showcasing the diverse voices, literary traditions and cultural experiences of the Caribbean and its diaspora. For nearly four decades, the journal has provided a platform for writers to explore the region’s histories, identities, languages, cultures and evolving experiences through poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays and other literary forms.
The Caribbean Writer extends its deep appreciation to its prize sponsors for their longstanding commitment to recognizing and encouraging literary excellence. Their generosity creates opportunities for writers, honors Caribbean storytelling and helps ensure that the region’s voices continue to be read, celebrated and preserved for future generations.
The journal also welcomes new prize sponsors and partners who share its commitment to cultivating literary talent and strengthening the literary life of the Caribbean and its diaspora.
For more information about The Caribbean Writer, visit https://thecaribbeanwriter.org.
