By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Aug 16: Celebrating his first win in DayakDaily’s ‘Homestay Odyssey’ Writing Competition 2025, Ian Liew Ting Yee shared his heartfelt and emotional experience through his writing, marking the highest milestone in his literary journey so far.
The youngest winner, who studies at SJKC Tunghua, Sibu, has shown interest in writing as early as age 10 (Year 4).
The 12-year-old said writing was a form of expression where he could personally connect with his feelings.
In his story, he relates the raw experiences of embracing family memories while exploring loss, grief and healing, a narrative that won the hearts of the judges.
“It’s like going to the homestay with my mom and my family. But after we went home, my mom and my dad got into a bit of a fight. And they divorced, so I felt a bit sad.
“But going back to the homestay brings a lot of memories. It brings back memories of my mom and my dad. It’s kind of personal to me,” Ian told reporters after the awards ceremony held at Waterfront Hotel here today.
This was not his first time joining a writing competition as he had taken part three to four times before.
“It’s like a big surprise to me because I didn’t really expect to win.
“I was expecting to get into fourth or fifth place,” he added.
Despite doubting his own capability in literature, he is now among the youngest winners in the competition.
He shared that he will be celebrating his win at the Kuching Festival 2025 with his mother and grandmother before heading back to Sibu.
Today marks a major milestone in his literary journey as he begins a new chapter that redefines his voice and vision as a writer.
At the ceremony, he received the top prize for the Youth Category from Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah. — DayakDaily
