Gold Quill Award for Negrense book
Five Negrense bookmakers won the 2023 Gold Quill Award bestowed by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) based in Chicago, USA. In collaboration with Impress Quality Printing Philippines Inc. and Media Wise Communications Inc., their winning entry was the pioneering coffee table book titled Sugar & Smiles: The Negrense Legacy Beyond 2020.
The team that produced Sugar & Smiles was led by Conrado Gen Tomas, Jose Kilayko Montalvo III, Benjamin de Leon Torre, Ma. Teresa Quebrar-manalili, and J. Albert Araneta Gamboa. Together with 30 writers and creative staff, they launched the book in November 2021 at the main activity center of Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City. Negros Occidental Governor
Eugenio Jose Lacson supported the book project along with several local government units and congressional districts as well as major corporations and private enterprises.
The 320-page heirloom collectible is the first coffee table book about Negros Occidental.
Its cover was designed by graphic artist Nikki Solinap and the inside pages contain original artworks from watercolor painter Edbon Sevilleno. Manila Bulletin Executive
Editor Pinky Colmenares, herself a Negrense, wrote the feature stories on five icons of the arts who come from Negros Occidental, namely: Peque Gallaga, Toto Sicangco, Joel Torre, Cecile Sicangco-ibarrola, and Erik Matti.
Sugar & Smiles’ main chapters were written by historians Modesto Sa-onoy and Roque Hofileña; lawyers Rayboy Pandan and Eli Gatanela; culturati Cecilia Locsin-nava and Lloyd Tronco; chefs Richard Ynayan and Mia Lizares-gonzaga; veteran journalists Carla Gomez and Cedelf Tupas; tourism official Cristine Mansinares and advertising executive Nikki Golez. The book project’s beneficiary was Kalipay Negrense Foundation under Anna Claparols Balcells.
IABC is the foremost global community of communications professionals representing diverse industries and disciplines. For more than 40 years, IABC’S Gold Quill Awards program has recognized excellence in strategic communication worldwide and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry.
This year, the awarding ceremony of the Gold Quill Awards will be held at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, Canada on June 6. The Gold Qulll recognition night highlights the 2023 World Conference of IABC with the theme, “Communication Can Deepen.”
The 320-page heirloom collectible is the first coffee table book about Negros Occidental.