Atom Araullo wins Palanca Award for 'Letter from Tawi-Tawi' essay

Congratulations to Atom Araullo for yet another major win!

The Kapuso journalist's essay "Letter from Tawi-tawi" bagged the first prize in the Essay Category of the prestigious Palanca Awards.

The awards ceremony will take place on November 30. 

"Letter from Tawi-tawi" tells the story of a teacher with a floating school, a fisherman who taught himself Tagalog, and an 8-year-old dreamer of a girl from a small community in Tawi-Tawi.

Featuring both words and photos by Atom, "Letter from Tawi-tawi" was first published on GMA News Online in August 2022.

On social media, Atom described "Letter from Tawi-tawi" as both a narrative and a reflection.

The Palanca award comes at the heels of yet another recent win. Earlier this week, Atom's documentary "Munting Bisig" won the silver award for Documentaries and Reports (TV, Online, and Cinema) in the Human Concerns and Social Issues category at the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards.

It is the third win of "Muntig Bisig" following the Gold Award in the Documentary: Social Issues category at the New York Festivals TV and Film Awards 2022 and Best Asian Documentary at the Asia Content Awards (ACA).

Thank you for making us proud, Atom! We will never tire of congratulating you! — LA, GMA News