(Curaçao, 1943) teaches Papiamentu, Spanish and Sport at the comprehensive school Banda Bou in Curaçao. Baromeo writes in Papiamentu. His second novel E Parto (1995) was awarded with the Chapi di Plata of the Fundashon Pierre Lauffer. In this historical novel he describes the birth of a new Curaçao consciousness following the revolt of May 1969. In 1990 his short novel Pal’i Bida was published.
WIN 2003

(Aruba, 1959) Lasana M. Sekou is the author of 13 books of poetry, short stories, monologues and essays. Born Harold Hermano Lake in Aruba in 1959, he grew up in Sint Maarten. Sekou studied political science and mass communication in the USA, where he changed his name to Lasana (poet) Sekou (warrior). His books, such as The Salt Reaper and Nativity, have been required reading at Caribbean and North American universities. He is the editor of National Symbols of St. Martin and The Independence Papers – Readings on a New Political Status for St. Maarten/St. Martin. He also produced Fête – The first recording of traditional St. Martin festive music. Sekou lectures on history, culture, politics and literature at schools, universities and festivals throughout the world. His poetry has appeared in journals such as The Massachusetts Review, Del Caribe, De Gids, and Boundary 2. In 1982, Sekou founded House of Nehesi Publishers in New York. In 1984, he established the small press in Sint Maarten, where he lives and continues to publish well-known and new writers www.houseofnehesipublish.com.

(Curaçao, 1950) is a poet, pharmacist and politician. His most famous work Katibu di Shon (Slave and Master) appeared in 1988 in Papiamento, but came out in 2002 in Dutch and was translated into German in 2007. In this novel De Hasseth tells the story of the slave rebellion in Curaçao of 1795 from the perspective of a master and a slave who grew up together as friends. In 1989 the writer received the Cola Debrot Prize for this book, the highest cultural award of Curaçao. De Haseth made his debut in 1969 with the volume of poetry 3 dagen vóór Eva (3 Days before Eve) followed by several other books of poetry. De Haseth belonged to the group which in 1993 founded the Partido Antia Restruktura (PAR), the party of former prime minister Miguel Pourier. From 1994–2004 he was with several interruptions minister plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antillea. Right now he is a council advisor of the Netherlands Antilles and a member of the jury of the 2009 Libris Literature Prize.

(Curacao, 1972) since 1994 has lived in the Netherlands, where she studied business administration at the Erasmus University. Already during her student days she was active in the Antillean community. In 1998 she was the co-organisator of the symposium De Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba op weg naar het nieuwe millennium”, (The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba on their way towards a new millenium), where the prime minister at that time, Mrs. Suzanne Camelia-Römer, was one of the speakers. Since 2002 Celeste Johannes is chairwoman of the foundation Splika, which promotes language, literature and culture of the Leeward Islands. This foundation's goal is to promote the Antillean language, literature and culture in the Netherlands, and within the Antillean community help research and promote their own identity.