USM hosts 10th Chinese Literary Award Ceremony “Connection”

By Chong Wan Chi

MAIN CAMPUS, 26 May - The 10th USM Chinese Literary Award Ceremony 2024 “Connection” was grandly held at Dewan Kuliah A, USM. This event is similar to their theme, “Connection”, which provides a platform for literary lovers from all over the country to showcase their talents. It connects readers, authors, modern people, history, and people and life.

According to the President of the 10th USM Chinese Literary Award, Tan Qiao Rou, the competition started soliciting submissions on 24th January and ended on 24th April. This year, the literary award received 190 submissions, covering three categories: short stories, prose, and poetry. The short story category received 38 submissions, the prose category 74 submissions, and the poetry category 78 submissions. 

“The three outstanding award winners are all from Xiamen University Malaysia, and the special award was won by a USM student for the ancient poem “High Balcony Diving”. Since ancient poetry is not explicitly prohibited in the competition rules, and this year’s theme “Connection” has the meaning of connecting ancient and modern times, the judges decided to set up a special award to show encouragement,” Tan continued.

As Director of the Student Development Centre USM, Professor Dr Azizah delivered that literature is the inspiration of life and the expression of emotions and has the power to shock people. She believes that the 10th USM Chinese Literature Award is a competition for literary creation and a platform for literature lovers to communicate and enhance their interests and creativity. Through this activity, the contestants demonstrated their talents and found the resonance of the soul and the connection of thoughts in the words.

The judge of the prose group, Mr. Tan Kai Yik, mentioned that prose creation is inseparable from self and sincerity. This review’s biggest challenge is selecting the winner from the 74 works. The wonderful presentation of various themes makes the ranking decision extremely difficult. Mr. Andy Poh Jia Zheng stressed that many entries tried a variety of topics, and this eclectic creative spirit is admirable. 

The judges of the poetry group, Mr. Lee Seng Hu and Mr. Looi Yook Tho, both mentioned that the poetry works are diverse, and that the language is well mastered, but more social perspectives are still needed. The judges unanimously believed that the overall level of this year’s entries was high, with unique poetry and profound thinking.

The judge and teacher of the poetry group, Mr. Lee Seng Hu, gave his speech and promoted his book. Photo by Chong Wan Chi.

“This literary award aims to connect readers and authors, modern people and history, and people and life through literary works. The activity helps contestant’s express emotions, explore life, and inspire creative inspiration through words. However, there are also many challenges in organizing activities, such as difficulties in arranging reviews and time conflicts among writers,” said Tan.

Tan emphasized that they were all resolved in the end, fortunately. She thanked all the organizing committee, sponsors, Persatuan Bahasa Tionghua USM (PBT USM) members, media promotion partners, and contestants for their support. She emphasized the importance and significance of this event.