Judges at the 2025 Guyana Prize for Literature Awards Ceremony raised concerns over the use of artificial intelligence in literary submissions, urging organisers to establish systems to identify and disqualify AI-generated work.
Chairman of the Jury for Fiction Dr Stewart Brown said judges were disappointed after discovering some works submitted were largely written using AI, describing the issue as controversial and increasingly topical. The judges called on the Guyana Prize Committee to put measures in place to address the problem in future competitions.
Their concerns came as they assessed a body of fiction that showed imagination, creativity and ambition, but also revealed weaknesses in technique, storytelling, editing and critical review. A small group of submissions was competently written, they said, while many beginning writers appeared to still be finding their way through their texts. The problem, they added, was not a lack of imagination but a need for stronger literary editing and greater appreciation of the publishing process.
Despite those concerns, the ceremony, held Thursday night at the Pegasus Suites, celebrated a wide range of literary achievements from established writers and emerging voices across poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short story and drama.
Maggie Harris won Best Book of Poetry for “I Sing to the Greenhearts,” a collection judges said stood apart through its poetic technique, emotional range and fresh approach to themes of belonging and nostalgia. Harris, unable to attend, said in her acceptance speech that Guyana has continued to influence her life and writing despite living in the United Kingdom since 1971.
Phebe Wallerson placed second in poetry and also won Best First Book of Poetry for “Lachim II: Sounds from Sorrow Hill,” described by judges as an intensely personal meditation on grief. Wallerson used her remarks to call for greater investment in writers and a stronger national publishing system.
Scott Ting-a-Kee took third place in poetry with “The Way Indentured,” while Makeda K. Braithwaite shared third place for “Mud Psalms.”
In fiction, Raywat Deonandan won Best Book of Fiction with “A Memory of Flowers and Coconut.” Jasmine Payne won Best First Book of Fiction for “Leech,” while Somnauth Narine placed second with “Ripples From A Broken Soul.”
Tessa McWatt took first place in non-fiction with “The Snag,” ahead of Joyce Trotman’s “Dis Gyro: The Enchanted Life of Aunty Joyce Trotman” in second.
In drama, Dr Seeta Shah Roath won first place with “Kisna,” followed by Shaphan Hestick’s “River Blood Son” in second and Mosa Telford’s “The Bell and the Bones” in third.
The Community Spirit Award went to Vilma Nicholls for “Tafawa: Guy’s a Bachelor’s Adventure” and “Paradise Villages: A Mosaic of the History and Culture of People Liberated.”
In the Youth Awards, Mortimer Duke won first place in poetry with “Notes Towards an Incomplete Definition,” while Juvelle Atherley took first place in short story with “Saltwater Does Not Forget.”
The Guyana Prize Literary Festival continues this weekend with workshops, public readings, the National Poetry Slam Finals and discussions featuring Nobel Prize nominee David Dabydeen, before concluding Sunday with panels on publishing and professional authorship, the Martin Carter Lecture, and performances by the National Drama Company.
