Two Filipino kids were among the 10 children across Asia who were given the 2021 Scholastic Asia Young Storytellers Award (SAYSA).
Cassandra Ysabel Ignacio and Phoebe Niguidula, both from St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina, were among the 10 who best delighted the SAYSA judges who chose from the 70 finalists shortlisted from more than 1,700 participants.
Scholastic Asia received read-aloud entries from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The SAYSA judges were Selina Lee, Vice President of Scholastic Asia; Christabel Pinto, Senior Director, Global Literacy Program of Room to Read; Catherine Wu, Scholastic Asia’s Reading Ambassador; and Peter H. Reynolds, award-winning author and illustrator.
Among the 70 SAYSA finalists were 14 Filipino kids, selected through public voting and judging by Scholastic Asia:
| Cassandra Ysabel Ignacio | St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina |
| Eeva Cambria Bazar | Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School |
| Haquila Guevarra | San Sebastian School, Inc. |
| Jairo Stian Reolizo | School of Saint Anthony |
| Kayla Nevaeh Donnatessa Caparas | Casa Del Niño Montessori & Science High |
| Keizha Christine Salvosa | Good Shepherd Cathedral School |
| Lady Alyssa Kate Tan | Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu |
| Luke Adrianne Amaro | School of Saint Anthony |
| Phoebe Niguidula | St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina |
| Vernice May Bautista | Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College |
| Wyanett Doydoy | New Era University (Pampanga Branch) |
| Yasmin Binte Mohamed Yasin | Asia Academic Integrated School |
| Ysabel Tampus | Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College |
| Zairich Althea Castillo | Taps Achiever Private School |
Scholastic launched SAYSA in October 2021, leveraging the use of the digital space to provide a platform for children to showcase their many talents. Readers aged 4 to 10 years were invited to express their creativity through storytelling.
After the success of the inaugural competition, Scholastic Asia has announced that SAYSA 2022 will be in October.
Scholastic Philippines has uploaded 14 SAYSA read-aloud videos from the Philippines on its YouTube channel.
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