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Production Manager at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and Coordinator of the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition, Andrea McCurdy.

Deadline for Miss Festival Queen Competition is March 14

The deadline for the submission of applications for the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition is midnight on March 14, 2025. Applications for the competition can be submitted online at https://jcdc.awardsplatform.com/. The Festival Queen Competition, which forms part of the Emancipation...

Students from the Clan Carthy Primary School doing a speech titled “Laughing Ago Spoil” at the 2024 staging of Mello-Go-Roun held at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.

Final Call for National Festival of the Performing Arts Entries: Deadline January 10

Acting Director of Product Development and Community Tourism at the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Kerry- Ann Lowe Mullings, presents Pastor of the Catadupa Christian Fellowship Church, in St. James, for his contributions to the Catadupa community. Occasion was the Sam Sharpe Day Celebrations, held in the community, on December 27.

Sam Sharpe Honoured On December 27

Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2024, Omolora Wilson (centre), is flanked by first runner-up, Miss Manchester, Shannoya Houston (left), and second runner-up, Miss Kingston and St. Andrew, Daindra Harrison (right), during the August 3, 2024 coronation held at Independence Village in Kingston. (FILE)

New Age Limit for Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition

Ten young artists contributed to the child rights mural on Water Lane, downtown Kingston, painted in recognition of World Children’s Day and the 35th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The art enthusiasts transformed their understanding of child rights into vibrant works of art and highlighted the right to religion, rest and play as well as culture, arts and language among others. The completed mural was a collaborative effort involving UNICEF, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and Kingston Creative.

Child Rights Come Alive Through Art

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, presents Kamili Forrester of Goshen Primary in St. Elizabeth with a gift basket and backpack with stationery for first place in the essay category of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Heritage Competition, during the awards ceremony at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston on December 10.

1 year ago CultureYouth

Kamili Forrester Proud to be a JIS Heritage Competition Winner

Grade-six student at Goshen Primary School in St. Elizabeth, Kamili Forrester, entered the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Heritage Competition largely because she wanted to enhance her writing skills and test her ability. On December 10, she emerged winner of the essay category and copped the sectional prize for best entry submitted by 10-year-olds. “I feel very happy. I’m proud of...

Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Enthrose Campbell (right), converses with Founder/Artistic Director, Ntukuma, The Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica, Dr. Amina Blackwood Meeks, who delivered the keynote address at the JIS Heritage Competition Awards Ceremony, held on Tuesday (December 10) at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, in Kingston.

1 year ago Culture

Students Urged to Embrace Their Jamaican Heritage

Students are being urged to embrace their Jamaican heritage, which can shape their identity, build unity and connect them to their past. The call comes from Founder/Artistic Director, Ntukuma, The Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica, Dr. Amina Blackwood Meeks, who delivered the keynote address during the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Heritage Competition Awards Ceremony, held on Tuesday (December 10), at the...

This training sled, on loan from the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, will be included in the design for Jamaica’s Pavilion during Expo 2025 in Japan, celebrating the nation’s iconic bobsleigh legacy and cultural pride.

1 year ago CultureForeign Affairs

Jamaica to Showcase Iconic Bobsleigh Legacy During Expo 2025 in Japan

Jamaica’s iconic bobsleigh legacy will be incorporated into the design for the country’s pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Commissioner General of Section for Jamaica’s Pavilion, Maureen Smith, told JIS News that this decision was driven by in-depth research of what the Japanese find most intriguing about the island. “We know that they are huge consumers of our music...

Director of Community Cultural Development Services Division, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, Marjorie Leyden Kirton, speaks at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank, held at the agency’s head office in Kingston.

1 year ago Culture

JCDC Hosts National Cultural Club Conference on November 27

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) will host the 2024 National Cultural Club Conference on Wednesday, November 27. Under the theme, ‘One Love…Out of Many One People’, the conference will take place at the Rex Nettleford Auditorium, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, is expected...

Director of the Community Cultural Development Services Division, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Marjorie Leyden Kirton, speaks during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, at the agency’s head office in Kingston.

1 year ago Culture

JCDC to Increase Entries for Festival of the Performing Arts Competitions

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is to increase the number of entries for the 2025 Festival of the Performing Arts Competitions. Deadline for the submission of entries is December 13, 2024. Persons can enter the competitions by logging on to the JCDC’s new digital platform - www.jcdc.awardsplatform.com. Director of the JCDC’s Community Cultural Development Services Division, Marjorie Leyden Kirton,...

Director of Arts, Development and Training, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Andrew Brodber, speaks during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s head office in Kingston.

1 year ago Culture

JCDC Hosting Islandwide Workshops

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is hosting a series of islandwide workshops for individuals and groups entering the 2025 performing arts competitions. The workshops are being held from November 14 to December 6, beginning 9:00 a.m. Persons interested in attending should visit the JCDC’s website at www.jcdc.gov.jm or contact any of the Commission’s parish offices for further information. Speaking...

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, and Group Head of Life, Health and Pensions at Guardian Life Insurance, Eric Hosin, display the signed contract for the Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan (JECIP). They are surrounded by stakeholders, including entertainers and creatives. The signing ceremony took place on Tuesday (November 12) at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in Kingston.

1 year ago CultureEntertainment

Gov’t Launches Insurance Plan for Entertainers and Creatives

More than 4,400 of the island’s entertainers and creatives have been given access to life insurance. This, following the official launch of the Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan (JECIP). The contract signing for the new insurance plan was held on Tuesday (November 12) at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in Kingston. The initiative, which was spearheaded...