Tarde Literaria: Concurso de Cuento lead by Fellow Carlos Arturo Rivera

This past Wednesday, November 5th, Americas Community Center proudly hosted the virtual closing ceremony of our annual Concurso de Cuento “El Triunfo”, held via Zoom. It was a meaningful evening filled with inspiration, creativity, and the shared joy of storytelling.

We extend heartfelt thanks to all the talented writers who participated in this year’s contest. Each story reflected imagination, emotion, and a love for literature—making this edition of El Triunfo a true celebration of culture, creativity, and community.

A Reflection from the Jury

The first thought that comes to mind when beginning to write this article for the Americas Community Center, about the management and participation in the evaluation team for the stories received in the contest honoring Fabio Andrade, is to recognize each participating writer as a born winner.

For those of us who are apprentices in this craft and art, it is difficult to sit in front of a keyboard and express in words what the imagination conveys in a way that is pleasing to the reader—the one who receives the message of the text.

My deep admiration and gratitude go to all the participants who shared stories and gifted us moments of literary pleasure as we journeyed through each narrative and discovered its outcome. Surely, some of these plots were based on real events, either lived or known.

As a member of the jury team, which carried out its work independently and with great professionalism, I am also grateful not only for the task accomplished but for the learning gained from two masters of letters, seasoned by literary experience.

The role of a juror is ambivalent. One wishes to recognize every writer as a winner, because evaluating a written piece is akin to admiring and appreciating a painting—it depends on the eyes that behold it. For this contest, we jointly defined ten literary elements that guided us in the entrusted task, which we have now submitted to the Foundation.

In the end, there remains the satisfaction of a job well done and the joy of once again accompanying ACC in one of its many activities in support of the community, especially immigrants and those most in need, helping them integrate into this great community we share.
— Jury Reporter

Participating Stories and Authors

Story Title	Author
La Paradoja del Triunfo	Aniac Medina
La Doña	Aníbal Anaya
El Triunfo de Marcelino	Eva Vayona
El Cuento de RenaSer	Carlos Piña Grau
Historia de un Pueblo – El Triunfo de Don Pedro	Diemen Álvarez
El Regreso Triunfal de un Nuevo Amanecer	Edith Fabiola Rivera
La Paz Color de la Esperanza	Edwin A. Figueroa
El Tío Pablo	Enrique Córdoba
En el Bus	Hernando Gutiérrez
El Último Peldaño	Horacio Tersagui
Estampa de El Triunfo	Hugo Correa Londonp
El Triunfo de Juan Carlos	Jaider Arango
Un Regreso Triunfal	José Bedoya
La Estrella	Juan de J. Herrera
Los Niños Triunfantes del Bosque	Luz Marina Baena Mejía
Enlunados	Mario Baena
Lo Que No Fui	Miguel Augusto Rodríguez
Tres Triunfos	Paola Myers
El Banco del Parque	Ricardo Tribin

🏆 Winners of the 2025 Contest

🥇 First Place: Lo Que No Fui — Miguel Augusto Rodríguez
🥈 Second Place: Un Regreso Triunfal — José Bedoya
🥉 Third Place: El Banco del Parque — Ricardo Tribin

We celebrate each participant for sharing their talent and creativity, and extend special congratulations to our winners, whose stories beautifully captured the essence of “El Triunfo.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us during the award ceremony and to all who continue to support Americas Community Center’s literary and cultural initiatives. Together, we celebrate the power of storytelling and the voices that strengthen our community.

Stay tuned for upcoming Tarde Literaria events and future writing opportunities—because every story deserves to be told.

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