Yam, a popular starch in Jamaica, will be the featured item for the 2026 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Culinary Arts Competition. Food enthusiasts and amateur chefs are being invited to showcase versatile uses of the produce, which includes the yellow, white, and St. Vincent varieties. While a favourite on many local tables, often boiled with other starches and served...

Since 2017, the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) has hosted the Poet Laureate of Jamaica Prizes for Poetry competition, inviting poets from across the country to submit their work for recognition at the national level. For 2026, the competition continues its tradition of celebrating and highlighting Jamaican literary talent and cultural expression, under the leadership of Poet Laureate of Jamaica...

Young people in St. Thomas are being empowered to embrace their civic responsibilities through a project launched by Miss St. Thomas Festival Queen 2025, Fiona DaCosta. The project, launched on International Human Rights Day (December 10) at the Anglican Church Hall in Morant Bay, is titled ‘Know Yuh Rights: Embrace Yuh Civic Responsibilities’. Addressing the event, Ms. DaCosta said the...

The atmosphere at National Heroes Park on November 11, was one of deep reflection, pride, and solemn gratitude, as former members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) gathered for the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony. The function, which honours the thousands of Jamaican soldiers who fought and died in World Wars I and II, served as a reminder of the 4,000...

When Glenevea Paul-Penny from St. Mary first picked up her crochet hook again last year, she had no idea that within months, she would be standing among some outstanding artists. Her intricately woven fibre art creation, ‘Jah Kass Seh Di World Nuh Level’, earned her a gold medal at the 2025 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Visual Arts Competition. The...

At 72 years old, Manchester-born artist Nugent Hewitt continues to prove that creativity knows no age, turning decades of passion and perseverance into gold, six of them to be exact. Mr. Hewitt, who turns 73 in January 2026, has been named the Most Outstanding Overall Artist in the 2025 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Visual Arts Competition, receiving six gold...

At just 10 years old, Yolanda Stephenson is the first Mini Miss St. Catherine Heritage Queen. She tells JIS News that a wave of emotions swept over her the moment her name was announced as the Queen for the parish. “I wasn't expecting to be the winner. When it was time, my heart was out of my ribs, and it...

Poised, confident, and purpose-filled—eight-year-old Breanna Gayle embodies all this and more as she makes history as the first-ever Mini Miss St. Thomas Heritage Queen. Crowned in June, Breanna is now preparing to represent the parish on the national stage in December, as she competes for the title of Mini Miss Jamaica Heritage Queen 2025. The articulate Grade Three student of...