Call for entries: 40th Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition

The Center for Art, New Ventures, and Sustainable Development (CANVAS) is now accepting entries for the 40th Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition. This run marks the third time CANVAS will aim to inspire stories for readers six years old or younger, this time with a contest piece by artist Jonathan Madeja, whose works are informed by his experience with labor and the sea. Raised in a family of fisherfolk, Madeja is a self-taught artist from Romblon.

The contest piece for the 40th Romeo Forbes Competition is part of CANVAS’ retrospective exhibit Twenty Years of Art and Stories which opens to the public at National Museum of Fine Arts on June 14, 2025. Running for a year, this sneak peek into the Tumba-Tumba Children’s Museum of Philippine Art is at the fourth floor, at Galleries XXV and XXVI. Entry to the museum and the exhibit is free.

Held at least twice a year, the Romeo Forbes Competition is the first and only of its kind, inviting writers to pen a children’s story inspired by a painting or sculpture by CANVAS’ chosen local Filipino artist. Open to all Filipinos anywhere on the planet, the Romeo Forbes Competition will offer its winner a cash prize of PHP45,000 (less withholding tax) and a chance for their story to be published as a picture book.

The complete rules and conditions can be found via http://www.canvas.ph/romeo-forbes-competition. Deadline is on July 31, 2025.

A non-profit that works with the creative community to promote literacy and explore national identity, CANVAS publishes its award-winning children's stories and donates their books to benefit children in public schools and poor communities throughout the Philippines. Its “One Million Books for One Million Filipino Children Campaign” promotes independent reading and creative thinking in Filipino children, while also exposing them to the best of contemporary Filipino art and literature.