ALOTAU, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, 2 MAY 2012: The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) announced the winners of the World Tuna Day Art and Talent Quest today - a major new opportunity to showcase Pacific talent and passion for tuna.

The World Tuna Day Art and Talent Quest was made possible thanks to its corporate sponsors Fair Well Fishing Company (www.fairwell.com.tw), Frabelle PNG (www.frabelle.com), PPF in RMI, Thai Union (www.thaiuniongroup.com), Trimarine International in Solomon Islands (www.trimarinegroup.com), RD Tuna (www.rdtunacanners.com), South Seas Tuna Corporation (www.southseastuna.com) and PNA Commercial Manager Maurice Brownjohn. 

First Prize (USD $3000) was awarded to Ongerong Kesolei from Palau for his short story “Tuna, a fish with a special place in my heart” which tells of his life from childhood to motherhood and as ‘an adult growing into middle age’ and how tuna was there all along as a staple food and part of the lifestyle in the capital city of Koror. A short film will also be made to dramatize her winning story. 

Runner Up prizes ($1000 each) were awarded to Charles Stennett Kereau and Chelcia Gomese from Solomon Islands. Charles Stennett Kereau submitted a short story based on the experience of his grandfather and other elders in the Arosi Two District of West Makira, Makira-Ulawa province of Solomon Islands. His story tells of how local people fished for tuna with bamboo rods and bait, sometimes calling sharks with chants to help them circle and catch tuna. Chelcia Gomese’s poem uses a washed up tuna can on the beach as inspiration for her musing about the use of tuna now and hopes for a sustainable future. 

Special mentions ($150 each) were awarded by the PNA to Gino Oti from Solomon Islands for the digital artwork featuring the PNA countries as fish and the words “we agree” signifying unity, Charley Soulik from Federated States of Micronesia for his written reflections on tuna fishing and a poem describing the “snap rap dancing of tuna towards its prey” and Julian Maka’a from Solomon Islands for his short story “Tuna: an Icon” featuring information of tuna as an icon locally and regionally in the Pacific. 

ALL PRIZE WINNING ENTRIES CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING THE ATTACHMENT BELOW

PNA Director Dr Transform Aqorau said: “We were impressed with the quality and originality of the entries for the World Tuna Day Art and Talent Quest and thanks to our sponsors were able to award all those with exceptional entries a cash prize. We hope that other organizations will support us to make this quest an annual event.” 

“Reading these entries remind us of the special significance tuna has to our culture, lifestyles, livelihoods and future here in the Pacific.  We are very proud at PNA to recognize our local talent and to give these awards on the first World Tuna Day.”

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