Last Saturday, the Arte di Palabra ABC 2026 Competition took place with great success at the Paseo Herencia Ballroom. This special event, organized by the Department of Culture Aruba and the Arte di Palabra ABC Commission, gathered talented youth from Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao for an evening dedicated to creativity, literature, and artistic expression in our mother tongue, Papiamento.
During the competition, participants presented poetry, storytelling, and rap, demonstrating the value and beauty of our language and culture in an atmosphere of inter-island fraternity. The audience present enjoyed profound, emotional, and inspiring presentations that touched upon various social, cultural, and personal themes.
The absolute overall winner of Arte di Palabra ABC 2026 was the young Destiny Bernabela from Aruba with her work “Un Buraco sin Fondo” (A Bottomless Hole).
The official results are as follows:
Category A
3rd place – Jedrionne Martis (Curaçao) – “Amor”
2nd place – Sheona Merkies (Curaçao) – “Hóben mi ta!”
1st place – Zyon Bonafastia (Bonaire) – “Superá opstákulonan di bida”
Category B
3rd place – Nishanthalie Molina (Bonaire) – “Ei den bo rikesa ta”
2nd place – G’Shane Emperador (Curaçao) – “Kadena yamá kultura”
1st place – Zyon Bonifastia (Bonaire) – “E bos cu no ta grita”
Category C
5th place – Q’Sheantely Martines (Bonaire) – “Trouma di amistat”
4th place – Ishuarah Modest (Curaçao) – “Rabia skondí di muhé”
3rd place – Shekinah Maxi Mejia (Curaçao) – “Reflehonan ku no ta di mi”
2nd place – Shairon Nicolina (Curaçao) – “Fula skuridat”
1st place – Destiny Bernabela (Aruba) – “Un Buraco sin Fondo”
Category D
1st place – Nedion Sluis (Curaçao) – “Hulanda mi ke bai”
Category E
2nd place – Rebecca Delicate (Curaçao) – “Maeve”
1st place – Qshainy Beaumont (Bonaire) – “Un bashi den mi curason”
Category F
3rd place – Shairon Nicolina (Curaçao) – “Poppy, mi amiga”
2nd place – Dazhina Mansveld (Bonaire) – “E ultimo biahe”
1st place – Q’Sheantely Martinus (Bonaire) – “Alegria pa tristesa y tristesa pa alegria”
During this afternoon, Mr. Luis Rudolfo from Aruba received his award as the winner of the Haiku competition in the adult category, which saw the participation of 200 haikus from 34 participants.
Over the weekend in Curaçao, our international artist Jonathan Thiel, better known as Jeon, received the Tapushi Literario Award for his valuable contribution to Papiamento, continuing to sow so that our ABC community can harvest.
The Department of Culture Aruba and the Arte di Palabra ABC Commission express their congratulations to all participants, mentors, schools, and the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao for their dedication and contribution to the development and preservation of our language and cultural expression.
A special thanks to all press media, radio, television, digital platforms, and journalists who provided their support, coverage, and promotion for the Arte di Palabra ABC 2026 Competition. Thanks to your continuous support, the importance of promoting our language and culture successfully reached the community at large, thereby contributing to the success of this special event.
Arte di Palabra ABC continues to be an important platform to stimulate youth in literature, creativity, and cultural pride across our ABC islands.
