Prize Sponsors Announced, Competition Launches will be in the first week of May 2025
PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport Melissa D. Gumbs officially announced the prize sponsors for the first annual Dame Ruby Bute National Short Story Contest. The contest, named after iconic painter, storyteller and writer, Dame Ruby Bute, is meant to inspire young St. Maarteners to embrace a love of reading, storytelling and creative writing.
“Reading unlocks imaginations, builds vocabulary and improves the soft skills needed in any profession,” Gumbs stated. “I have stressed its importance while in Parliament and in fact, the idea for such a national competition began to develop in my head while still in Parliament. I’m happy to be able to see it come to fruition in my term as Minister of ECYS.”
While known widely for her vivid paintings and tributes to the beauty of the island, Dame Ruby Bute also made her mark with her exceptional way with words, starting with the first One Woman Show on the island in 1983 and her first book of poetry ‘Golden Voices of S’maatin’ which was also the first book of poetry published by a woman on the island in 1989.
This initiative reinforces Minister Gumbs’ commitment to promoting literacy throughout her term, a topic that she championed fiercely while a member of Parliament.
Gumbs, an avid reader, announced that her focus when mapping out the details of the competition was finding structural prize sponsors that would allow the event to run unhindered for at least three years. This week, the Minister signed MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with four key sponsors: RBC Bank, Boolchand’s, Antek IT Solutions & Software and Klass Electronics. All have committed to establishing a partnership with the Ministry of ECYS for the project, which Gumbs says is an example of the types of public/private partnerships she believes will carry St. Maarten’s educational ecosystem forward.
“These MOUs are more than just documents outlining prizes,” the Minister explained. “They’re a testament to these companies’ commitments to encouraging our young people to unleash their creativity, tell the stories they want to tell and amplify their voices beyond St. Maarten. I am thankful that they have shown their support in this meaningful way and look forward to this and future collaborations.”
As for the contest’s name, Minister Gumbs stated that it was always her intention to name the event after late cultural icon, Dame Ruby Bute.
“I met with Dame Ruby’s immediate family earlier this year, to ask permission to name this initiative after her,” Minister Gumbs explains. “I believe that these steps are important to giving our icons their due, and I am grateful to the family for allowing me to honour her in this way. Instilling a love of art, in all its forms, and especially in our young people, is just one way that Dame Ruby’s legacy took root in St. Maarten. Having begun painting at a young age, she is the embodiment of the magic that is created when that love is nurtured and encouraged in youth.”
Minister Gumbs stated that further information on the competition, including rules, theme, details of prizes and more, will be shared following the 2025 Carnival celebrations. She expressed her deep appreciation to the management teams of RBC Bank, Boolchand’s, Antek IT Solutions & Software, and Klass Electronics for signing on as sponsors, as well as to her colleagues within the Ministry’s Department of Youth and Division Education Innovation for their support in making the project a reality for 2025 and beyond.
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