The criteria for the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition have been updated to make the annual pageant, a key part of the Emancipation and Independence celebrations, more inclusive. These changes will provide more young women with the opportunity to represent their community, parish, and the nation. Traditionally, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) organizes the Festival Queen competition for young...

Talented young artists from across four parishes showcased their creative talents, bringing the rights of the child to life through an inspiring mural located on the iconic Water Lane, downtown Kingston. This artwork was part of a recent staging of the popular Kingston Artwalk Festival involving UNICEF, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and Kingston Creative to celebrate World Children's Day...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...