Avinash Bhattarai of Siraha has won the national poetry competition organized by the Gandaki Literary Academy.
In the competition held on Friday, Sijan Shrestha of Sankhuwasabha came second, and Keshav Bhattarai of Jhapa third. Likewise, Manoj Bishwakarma of Rautahat, Sirjan Aviral of Chitwan, Pooja Aradhana of Morang, Prakash Ramghali of Tanahun, Bharatababu Dhakal of Gorkha, and Sundar Shrish of Sindhupalchok received consolation prizes.
The first, second, and third poets have bagged cash prizes of Rs 55,000, Rs 40,000, and Rs 25,000 respectively. Similarly, those who receive consolation prizes will receive Rs. 10,000 each, Secretary of the Academy, Anju Dahal, said.
The best poem was selected by a committee headed by writer Ramesh Paudel. A total of 237 poems were received from all over the country for the poetry competition, which was supposed to be held two years ago. However, it gone postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Arjun Adhikari, President of the Academy.
At the program, the Gandaki Literary Award has been given to senior literary critic Narayan Prasad Gautam for the year 2079 BS. The award also carries a purse of Rs. 10,000.
On the occasion, a souvenir containing the best 65 poems from the poetry competition was released by writer Sarubhakta Shrestha.
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