Minister with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton, on Monday denied claims that the Government withheld funding from the Guyana Prize Committee for the Guyana Prize for Literature awards, which was supposed to be held in July of 2017.
Last week, Inews reported that the coalition Government, in what has been described as an unprecedented move, was yet to provide funding for the prestigious Guyana Prize for Literature Awards.
However, Minister Norton – who was unclear as to why the award ceremony was not held – reiterated that he was “sure” Government would not deliberately withhold funding for the hosting of such an event. He added that he has a vested interest in the Guyana Prize and has been seeking information from both the Secretary to the Committee, Al Creighton and the Cultural Policy Advisor, Ruel Johnson.
The prestigious award ceremony was supposed to be held in July of 2017, with March 31 being the deadline for submissions. However, it is yet to be held since the Government has not released funding for the Guyana Prize Committee to go ahead with the awards.
