I am still in awe remembering the much anticipated 2nd Gawad Parangal sa Mundo ng Literatura (GPML) Awards night held at The Village Patio in Brgy Maginhawa, Quezon City last Saturday, February 8, 2020. It was the day where aspiring writers, editors, illustrators, veteran indie authors, and well-acclaimed writers in the writing industry face off to fight for prestigious writing titles in numerous categories. In addition, it was also the day to celebrate the 3rd Penmasters League Book Fair which also happened to be the co-organizer of the event.

Joining them were some of the established publishing companies like Precious Hearts Romances (PHR), Talking Pages, Lathala Press, Lampara Books, Paperkat Books, Booklat, and other indie publishers, together with other active online writing organizations. Fan meet-ups and book signing were also included in the event to make it more memorable and enjoyable for both authors and their fans.
See also: The Penmaster’s League Grand Book Fair 2
It was another milestone for Miss Emerald Blake, the founder and president of Penmasters Administration which is the co-organizer of the gala event. After all the hurdles of the first GPML awards, it didn’t stop her from pursuing yet another year of this awarding ceremony. After all the hesitations, setbacks, and criticisms from detractors, she remained grounded and optimistic about her vision. Thus, the success of the recently concluded event.

Much has been said, but the highlight of the event is the presentation of the awards to various winning authors. With eleven incredible, and high caliber judges, not to mention their outstanding credentials both in education and the writing profession under their belt, it was a do-or-die collision of the best of the best authors in this generation. The writing aces of both mainstream and indie writing industries compete for the coveted titles.
Here are the winning awardees for the following categories:
I. GPML BEST POET CATEGORY
GPML BEST POET OF THE YEAR- Neil Mar Sales
2nd Best Poet- Rachel Macadangdang Labasan
3rd Best Poet- Mike James Palay
See also: Manila International Book Fair 2019: It’s Fun After All
II. GPML MOST PROMISING WRITER CATEGORY
GPML MOST PROMISING WRITER OF THE YEAR- JAEistyping
2nd Most Promising Writer- Neil Mar Sales
3rd Most Promising Writer- Mar Mojica
III. GPML UNDISCOVERED GEM CATEGORY
UNDISCOVERED GEM OF THE YEAR- Rosie Lopez Santiago (BasiliaSeleva)
2nd Undiscovered Gem- Margie Evangelista
3rd Undiscovered Gem- Glaiza AntonioGPML
IV. GPML BEST ILLUSTRATOR CATEGORY
GPML BEST ILLUSTRATOR OF THE YEAR- Regina Dionella
2nd Best Illustrator- Rosie Lopez Santiago
3rd Best Illustrator- Jaoius Elmigron
V. GPML BEST EDITOR (ENGLISH CATEGORY)
GPML BEST EDITOR OF THE YEAR (ENGLISH CATEGORY)- Melai Quilla Marinas
2nd Best Editor- Elena Buncaras
3rd Best Editor- Ysabelle Frost

VI. GPML BEST EDITOR (FILIPINO CATEGORY)
GPML BEST EDITOR OF THE YEAR (FILIPINO CATEGORY)- Elena Buncaras
2nd Best Editor- Melai Quilla Marinas
3rd Best Editor- Ysabelle Frost
VII. GPML BEST PUBLISHED AUTHOR (ROOKIE AUTHOR CATEGORY)
GPML BEST PUBLISHED AUTHORS OF THE YEAR (ROOKIE AUTHOR CATEGORY)- Jaret Co and John Michael Jalaron (Deborah Lovelace)
2nd Best Published Author- Krishmar Llorin
3rd Best Published Author- Chesz Dylan
VIII. GPML BEST PUBLISHED STORY (ROOKIE AUTHOR CATEGORY)
GPML BEST PUBLISHED STORY OF THE YEAR (ROOKIE AUTHOR CATEGORY)- Her Eleventh Blind Date by Phoebe Esquivel
2nd Best Published Story- Silang mga Winasak ng Mekanismo ng Pag-ibig by Jaret Co
3rd Best Published Story- Befall by Eiramana325

IX. GPML BEST PUBLISHED AUTHOR (NOVICE AUTHOR CATEGORY)
GPML BEST PUBLISHED AUTHOR OF THE YEAR (NOVICE AUTHOR CATEGORY)- Margie Evangelista
2nd Best Published Author- E.M. Priel
3rd Best Published Author- Mayumi Cruz
X. GPML BEST PUBLISHED STORY (NOVICE AUTHOR CATEGORY)
GPML BEST PUBLISHED STORY OF THE YEAR (NOVICE AUTHOR CATEGORY)- Chroma Hearts by Mayumi Cruz
2nd Best Published Story- Philippines Year: 2300 by E.M. Priel
3rd Best Published Story- Rosa Magica by Margie Evangelista
See also: Mark Phillip Castillo: Pairidaeza And The Birth Of A New Author
XI. GPML BEST PUBLISHED AUTHOR (VETERAN AUTHOR CATEGORY)
GPML BEST PUBLISHED AUTHOR OF THE YEAR (VETERAN AUTHOR CATEGORY): Jernalie Dumapay (Sofia)
2nd Best Published Author: Maricar Dizon
3rd Best Published Author: Heart Yngrid
XII. GPML BEST PUBLISHED STORY (VETERAN AUTHOR CATEGORY)
GPML BEST PUBLISHED STORY OF THE YEAR (VETERAN AUTHOR CATEGORY): Golden Heart by Maricar Dizon
2nd Best Published Story: Marrying My Bestfriend by Aira Ledesma
3rd Best Published Story: My One and Only You by Jasmine Esperanza
The organizers also aim to recognize some of the notable mainstream publishers and indie publishing houses that keep the Philippine literature alive.

XIII. GPML BEST PRINTING SERVICE
GPML BEST PRINTING SERVICE OF THE YEAR: KPNY Self-Publishing and Printing
2nd Best Printing Service: Glyz Printing Services and Trading
3rd Best Printing Service: Immac Printing Service
XIV. GPML BEST PUBLISHER
GPML BEST PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR: Anvil Publishing
2nd Best Publisher: VIVA Books
3rd Best Publisher: OMF Literature
Special awards are also given to the following established veteran authors who weren’t just professionals in the field, but they left a mark in the Philippine writing history.
SPECIAL AWARDEES:
GPML LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Prof. Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo
GPML LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Ms. Lualhati Bautista
GPML POSTHUMOUS AWARD: Ms. Angel Bautista
GPML POSTHUMOUS AWARD: Ms. Amanda Beltran

The organizers also recognized active writing organizations where new breed of indie writers and now seasoned authors started their writing journeys.
GPML MOST ACTIVE ONLINE WRITING ORGANIZATIONS FOR 2019
- 8Letters
- Writers to Watch Out (WWO)
- PluMAKATA
- Conscriptors
- Akademyang Pampanitikan (AKAP)
- Inspiring Team of Writers (ITW)
- APIS
- Spoken Word Poetry University (SWPU)
- Midnight Collective
- Fall in Arts Community
- Horror and Trell Stories
- Betsin Artparasite
- Damdaming Nakapaskil
- MKP
- KAMPI

Furthermore, Miss Emerald Blake made it known the achievements of her mentees in her workshops. These mentees are handpicked with regards to their excellence and growth in her writing workshops.
2ND PENMASTERS LEAGUE AWARDS (for Miss Emerald Blake’s PL Online Mentoring Class)
I. PL BEST PUBLISHED AUTHOR CATEGORY
PL BEST PUBLISHED AUTHOR OF THE YEAR: Darl Bollon/Darla Tverdohleb
2nd Best Published Author: LC Brasil
3rd Best Published Author: Xakni Allym
II. PL BEST PUBLISHED STORY CATEGORY
PL BEST PUBLISHED STORY OF THE YEAR: The Gray Area by LC Brasil
2nd Best Published Story: Old Towns, Old Flames by Darl Bollon
3rd Best Published Story: Morgan Series 1: The Philanderer by Rashiyella Raya
III. PL UNDISCOVERED GEM CATEGORY
PL UNDISCOVERED GEM OF THE YEAR: Anj Jimenez
2nd Undiscovered Gem: Jin Yoo Han
3rd Undiscovered Gem: Jang Magbanua

IV. PL MOST PROMISING WRITER CATEGORY
PL MOST PROMISING WRITER OF THE YEAR: Mican Buna
2nd Most Promising Writer: Author Meera
3rd Most Promising Writer: XiAn Dee
V. PL BEST POET CATEGORY
PL BEST POET OF THE YEAR: Jin Yoo Han
2nd Best Poet: Rosemarie Plaza Tahumon
3rd Best Poet: Chili Pepper
VI. PL BEST ILLUSTRATOR CATEGORY
PL BEST ILLUSTRATOR OF THE YEAR: Ten Grams
2nd Best Illustrator: Kristina Tomodachi

Despite the rain that happened that day, it didn’t stop the awardees to come to their OOTDs. The night ended with newfound friends and collaborations among the authors and publishers present in the event. These awards motivated aspirants to excel more and aim to become the best in their writing craft. Thus, I bet next year will become more bloody and competitive. Kudos to the organizers, and congratulations to all the nominees and winners.
https://www.johnacademy.co.uk/mega-sell/
Bargain Around the World Flight Deals. Save up to $20** off with promo code – ATW20. Book Now!