By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jun 22: Twenty talented writers have been shortlisted for DayakDaily’s highly anticipated ‘Sarawak Folktale’ writing competition for 2026.
From a total of 185 compelling entries, 10 candidates have been selected from the Adult Category, which saw 114 submissions.
Another 10 promising individuals have been chosen from the Youth Category, which received 71 submissions.
The excitement will culminate at the upcoming award ceremony, tentatively scheduled for September 19, 2026 (Saturday) at the Imperial Hotel, Kuching.
All shortlisted participants will be invited to attend, as the final winners are set to be announced live during the event.
Please note that these details are tentative, and shortlisted participants will be officially notified of any changes.
The full list of shortlisted participants is as follows:
Adult Category (19-years-old and above)
- Jason Teo Jia Hong
- Rebekah Dawn Ba’o Ritchie
- Roslee bin Bahar
- Ricci anak Georgery Gelanggang
- Armin Haffidzudin bin Ideris
- Twiene Selynda Simbas
- Harry anak Bawan
- Ivy Lau Chien Jie
- Wong Koh Seng
- Felicia Laleng Jimmy
Youth Category (12 to 18-years-old)
- Thomas Sijun anak Jose Jol
- Elizabeth Lau Ke Jia
- Christian Richardson anak Donald
- Monica Pawa anak Ringkai
- Sharifah Azra Qistina binti Syed Alsagaf
- Davin Kiai Tan Chun Jen
- Claire Chen Ching Yuan
- Feliz Loh Li Fei
- Bernard Yong Qian Ze
- Ivan Lim Sheng Jie
The prizes for each category are listed as follows:
Adult Category (19-years-old and above)
| Ranking | Cash Prizes | Add-Ons |
| Gold | RM 3,500 | 3D2N voucher at Imperial Hotel, Kuching
Trophy and Certificate |
| Silver | RM 2,500 | Trophy and Certificate |
| Bronze | RM 1,500 | Trophy and Certificate |
| Consolation x 2 | RM 500 x 2 | Trophy and Certificate x 2 |
| Shortlisted x 5 | – | Certificate x 5 |
Youth Category (12 to 18-years-old)
| Ranking | Cash Prizes | Add-Ons |
| Gold | RM 2,500 | 3D2N voucher at Imperial Hotel, Kuching
Trophy and Certificate |
| Silver | RM 1,500 | Trophy and Certificate |
| Bronze | RM 1,000 | Trophy and Certificate |
| Consolation x 2 | RM 200 x 2 | Trophy and Certificate x 2 |
| Shortlisted x 5 | – | Certificate x 5 |
Certificates will also be given to all participants shortlisted in the top 20.
The writing competition was open to Sarawakians aged 12 and above. Participants were required to write a short essay with a maximum of 800 words and at least one original photo related to their written article of the Sarawak folklore.
All winning articles will be published on DayakDaily.com as well as DayakDaily’s other social media platforms.
The writing contest is organised by DayakDaily with the support of the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts. —DayakDaily
