The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, is encouraging artists in the literary, visual and music sectors to make application to the 2008 Provincial Arts and Letters Awards program. The deadline for receipt of submissions is February 15, 2008.

"It is critical that we nurture our creative talents, amateur and professional, young and old, throughout their artistic journey," Minister Jackman said. "As such, last year, as part of a three-year, $17.6 million commitment of new funding to the arts and culture sector, the Provincial Government doubled the amount of prize money available under the Arts and Letters Awards program to $46,000."

This year, for the first time, there will be a new process for the submission of visual arts entries, Minister Jackman noted. In the initial round of submissions, visual art will be accepted as digital images on CD only. Adjudicators will review all visual art entries in this format, and then choose which original works they will ask to be sent to the Arts and Letters Office for further adjudication.

Applicants to the Arts and Letters Awards are required to submit their creative piece to either the senior or junior (E.J. Pratt) divisions of the awards. The senior division (19 years and older) consists of the following sections:

Prizes in the senior division are valued at $1,000 each.

The E.J. Pratt Division (12 to 18 years) sections are similar to those in the senior division, with the exception of literary arts which has just two sections: poetry and prose. The prizes in the junior division are valued at $250 each.

The Percy Janes First Novel Award is awarded to the winning entry of a full length, unpublished novel manuscript with a minimum of 30,000 words. The award has a cash prize of $1,500.

Additional information may be obtained at the Arts and Letters Office 709-729-5253, by email
(rbest@gov.nl.ca) or by visiting the Arts and Letters website www.gov.nl.ca/artsandletters .

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