WILLEMSTAD – Ten spoken-word artists from Curaçao, Aruba and Suriname have been selected to compete in the first Moving Voices competition during the 2026 Wintertuin Festival Curaçao later this month.
Wintertuin Curaçao selected the ten participants from 69 applications submitted for the new competition, which will take place on September 19 at Landhuis Vredenberg.
The competition is centered around this year’s festival theme, “Moveshon,” the Papiamentu word for movement.
Applicants were required to submit a video performance and explain how they interpret the concept of movement, including the way people, languages, stories and cultures move between communities and different social environments.
During the first round, each of the ten selected performers will have up to three minutes to present original work.
The performances may include poetry, spoken word, rap, storytelling or songwriting.
A jury consisting of Tyson Hill, Lusette Verboom and Richailine Elisa will evaluate the performances. The five highest-scoring participants will advance to a final round later that same evening, where they will perform a second original piece.
The winner will receive ANG 1,000 and an individual mentorship program through Wintertuin Curaçao aimed at developing a personal publication and supporting further professional growth.
The second-place winner will receive ANG 500 and five individual coaching sessions with a writing coach, while the third-place participant will receive ANG 250 and free participation in a Creative Writing Academy Curaçao course.
Organizers say the competition is intended to provide an additional platform for emerging Caribbean literary and performance talent while strengthening exchanges among artists from different parts of the Dutch Caribbean and Suriname.
The Moving Voices competition will form part of the broader Wintertuin Festival Curaçao program on September 19 at Landhuis Vredenberg.
One other item worth keeping an eye on: Curaçao Parliament has scheduled Question Hour for Thursday, September 3, with two potentially strong follow-up stories — the delays and costs surrounding Marshe Nobo and the ANG 8.3 million connected to Curaçao Gaming Authority expenditures. Parliament is also resuming debate today on Curaçao’s minimum-tax legislation.