The Safa short story contest prizes were awarded

The award ceremony for the VII Short Story Contest was held at the Safa Assembly Hall. It was organized by the AMPA Ubbadat educational center, in collaboration the Ubeda Association for Culture and the City Council. This event also featured the outstanding member of the jury, Jesus Maeso de la Torre the writer and Favorite son of the city. One hundred students from ESO and Baccalaureate participated in the contest, which was thirty more than the previous edition. Each level was represented by four finalists.

Pedro Jesus Lopez, the Councilor for Education, said that it was a pleasure for Consistory and to work with such an initiative. This is especially true when they encourage writing and reading in students. He also praised the efforts of teachers to participate in the contest as it is part of their annual program.

The mayor gave a special mention to the AMPA, the organizer of the event, for Ubeda Association for Culture (a great collaborator in many events that take place within the city), and for Jesus Maeso, the writer. She stated that it was a great incentive for students to have someone to motivate them in writing and reading.

Maria Martinez Urbano, director-manager at SAFA Ubeda, said that the jury struggled to select the winning stories in this edition due to the high quality of the submissions. I appreciate the AMPA's continued support of this contest year after year. This is why we, at the center, will do everything to ensure that this continues", he stated, explaining that the contest is useful for young talent in writing and creativity and allows students to express their feelings.

Jesus Maeso stated that he was very surprised by the quality of the stories, especially since it is a new generation influenced and marked by technology. He said, "I don’t know what happens to Ubeda, or if it’s the DNA or whatever, but here there’s people who are especially gifted for creation, and I’ve seen boys, and girls, who could become writers when they grow older."

Jose Miguel Gamez, president and CEO of Ubeda Association for Culture says that this edition was a pleasant experience. The group collaborated with the jury as well as through Miguel Angel Barbero Barrios who is responsible for editing the Didacbook publication house's compilation book.