In the Coomuldesa Classroom on the Bicentennial Campus, the UIS Socorro Campus held the awards ceremony for the 11th Antonia Santos Bicentennial Library Children’s Story Contest, which seeks to encourage children to enjoy reading, writing, and literary creativity.
Since its creation in 2015, this space has grown significantly, establishing itself as a cultural meeting place for the region’s educational community. Over the course of its eleven editions, more than a thousand children have participated, sharing real and imaginary worlds that reflect their talent and sensitivity through their stories.
Julio Alfonso Martínez Molina, Coordinator of the UIS Socorro Campus, said that the true meaning of the contest is not only to reward, but also to value the imagination of children and adolescents as a cultural heritage of the community. “Listening to their voices and reading their stories is proof that literature is a tool for comprehensive education that strengthens identity, creativity, and critical thinking. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this, especially the thousands of participants throughout the history of the contest and our sponsors for their unconditional support.”
In the most recent edition, more than 223 stories written by students from different educational institutions were submitted. Each participant received recognition for their contribution, as they are all winners for daring to create and share their stories.
The awards ceremony was made possible thanks to the support of important local partners, including Coomuldesa, Cootrasaravita, Medical Armony, Hacienda Morros, Casa Hotel Venecia, CoopCallejona, Vanity Relax, Fundación Socorranos en Acción, Banco Davivienda, Lácteos Tamacara S.A., and Distritaol Ltda., companies that joined forces with the aim of stimulating imagination and learning in children.
The contest was open to students between the ages of 7 and 12, divided into two categories. The judges evaluated aspects such as creativity, literary structure, spelling, and presentation, recognizing the best works with special prizes.
Samuel Leandro Gómez won Category A (ages 7 to 9) and called on the children of his generation: “I want you to work hard and be an inspiration. With imagination and discipline, you can achieve all this recognition.” Today, Samuel’s voice is a call to keep alive the curiosity and passion for storytelling.
For her part, Sara Valentina Buenahora, winner of Category B (ages 10 to 12), said that this achievement reflects how writing opens up ways to express feelings: “My story was fantasy, and I wanted to send a message of self-confidence. We just have to believe in our talent and see stories as a tool for growing and transforming the world.”
Beyond the competition, this initiative is an example of the importance of reading and writing as tools for the comprehensive development of children, who find in literature a space to express themselves, strengthen their confidence, and project themselves with new opportunities.
