Started in 2019 as the Emergent Writers Contest for unpublished writers with the organization's maiden voyage into the literary world, its primary mission was to unearth the hidden storytellers of Caribbean descent in the North American diaspora by serving as encouragement and incentive for them to write their stories. That prize was called the BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer's Prize. Flummoxed by entries from writers in the region, in 2020, the competition was renamed the BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest and a second prize appeared, specifically targeted to writers in the Caribbean. The regional prize, unlike the diaspora one was opened to writers of all levels with the distinctive eligibility clause of residency in the Caribbean.

Both of the contest's prizes are directed to the two voices and perspectives which comprise the Caribbean identity - writers who were born and live in the Caribbean and those who reside in the diaspora. The awards are issued in the name of multiple-award winning author and distinguished professor, Dr. Elizabeth Nunez. She is a Caribbean-American writing luminary born in Trinidad and Tobago with a stellar writing legacy and wide-reaching advocacy for African-American and Caribbean writers.

With these two awards, the BCLF ensures that it does not pit the variegated perspective of the ever-expanding definition of the Caribbean writer against itself. Overall, the contest and its prizes work to increase exposure for Caribbean writers to wider audiences. Both prizes are meant to enhance writers' visibility and consequently grow their access to larger literary networks and resources for writers of Caribbean descent. This devotion to narrowing the gaps between the fertile resources of the literary industry and historically under-recognised groups like Caribbean writers remains the BCLF's primary mission while simultaneously guiding the contest's rules and eligibility criteria.

The BCLF is committed to improving the Caribbean literary canon’s mettle in this world. That objective, for us, can be achieved through craft improvement, access to resources and widened public impressions. The contest was started to create greater visibility for Caribbean writers and as a means of opening the door to the mainstream writing world. It aims to provide a conduit through which writers of Caribbean descent find encouragement and empowerment to weave and share their stories.

Writing contests are essential for writers. Writing contests offer more than bragging rights to those courageous enough to enter. It offers invaluable visibility, opportunities for publishing deals and access to an industry that often feels like its ranks are closed to the not-yet initiated. Writing prizes open doors, boost confidence and are the chance for underrepresented demographics to make it.

BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize is open to unpublished writers of Caribbean heritage. Self-published writers may apply. This prize seeks to unearth hidden storytellers in the United States and Canada.

BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean is open exclusively to Caribbean writers of all levels who reside and work in the Caribbean or are on temporary assignment overseas. 

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