Asociación Peruana International de Cultura (APIC) presents:

APIC’s Cuentitos, a Peruvian heritage short story contest. At APIC we aim to increase awareness of local Peruvians; their challenges and impact within Los Angeles and/or The Greater Los Angeles Area.

Contest Guidelines

Candidates must be in grades 7-12 (enrolled in a school or homeschool program (in compliance with California state requirements)), residing within Los Angeles City, County and The Greater Los Angeles Areas.

Candidates participate by submitting an original written work that captures the essence of L.A. Peruvian culture.

Candidates from any backgrounds are welcomed.

Stories must be written in English, with incorporation of some Peruvian languages or expressions.

Story must be a maximum of 3,000 words, double spaced in size 12 Times Roman font, with 1” margins and have a title.

Deadline for submission is October 30, 2024 11:59 PM. NO EXCEPTIONS

Submit stories as an emailed doc, docx or rtf file attachment to apicperuca@gmail.com

Email subject line should read “APIC CUENTITOS SHORT STORY.” In the body of the email, please include: the candidate's name, phone number, grade and age.

Candidate's name must be excluded from the story submission file and pages. Name must be included ONLY on title page.

Email submissions must include a completed participation agreement CLICK HERE.

Story may never have been submitted to another contest or published (e.g. print or online) prior APIC’s Cuentitos.

Immediate family members of judges are ineligible.

Only one submission per student per year.

Criteria

Originality

Clarity of expression

Story Organization

Literacy and Grammar

Must pertain to Peruvian Culture and L.A.

Prizes

7th & 8th Grades

Gold Award is $500

9th & 10th Grades

Gold Award is $750

11th & 12th Grades

Gold Award is $1,000

Silver Award is $500

Award Selection Process

Judges are educators, writers, and qualified community members with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. 

Judges read entries “blind,” never knowing the identity of student participants until winners are announced.

Entries are read by a minimum of two judges and awards selections are determined by a panel of judges.

Award Recipients

Award recipients must provide a short bio and be available to be photographed for APIC’s promotional use of the scholarship.

Award recipients must commit to attend an award ceremony.

Goals & Needs

APIC seeks local community engagement, especially by those in leadership roles who advocate for and/or are connected to the Peruvian community.

Assistance in promotion of the scholarship to be inclusive in offering this opportunity to eligible students.

A donated event venue providing a space to honor student writers and is welcoming to all attendees.

To secure funding for this 2024 scholarship award event and its continuation as an annual program for youth and families.

Contact: Manny F. Torres at (626) 644-4125 text preferred or at torresmanny@gmail.com

For donation info, please email: apicperuca@gmail.com