The annual Crocodile Prize Award competition has received a sponsorship boost of K5,000, thanks to the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC).
The competition was established in 2010, aiming to encourage creative and critical writing in Papua New Guinea.
It also aims to provide Papua New Guineans with access to home-grown literature.
The funding will go into sponsoring one of seven categories in the competition, which is the ‘Women in Writing’ category.
The six other categories are Short Story, Illustrations, Book of the Year, Essays and Journalism, Heritage and Children’s writing.
Crocodile Prize committee chairman Baka Bina thanked MRDC for the support and is pleased to see companies support educational initiatives that promote the development of storytelling.
“Writing critical essays and challenging the way we lead and live is healthy for a nation and each country and culture have their own voice and way of storytelling,” Bina said.
Bina encouraged more females to come on board and be part of the competition by showcasing their talents and passion in writing.
The competition opened to all PNG citizens in January this year.
The closing date for entries will be extended due to the high number of entries coming in and the winners will be announced in November 2016.
MRDC general manager external affairs and sustainable development Imbi Tagune hopes that the support will encourage more women and girls to participate in the competition.
Tagune said they’re proud to support educational initiatives and programs in PNG, especially in the development of women and girls in society.