The 34th edition of this traditional national contest organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and FUCOA aims to preserve and disseminate the myths, legends, and traditions of the rural world. Among this year's new features is the Special Award "Traditions of Chiloé," commemorating the bicentennial of the island. Submissions and more information can be found at www.
historiasdenuestratierra. cl. With the goal of rescuing intangible heritage, customs, legends, traditions, and visual records from rural areas across Chile, the Ministry of Agriculture, through the Foundation for Communications, Training, and Culture of Agriculture (FUCOA), has called for participation in the 2026 edition of the contest "Stories of Our Land.
" The Undersecretary of Agriculture, Francesco Venezian, emphasized the importance for the country of "not losing the stories that come from the rural world, passed down from generation to generation; grandparents, great-grandparents, parents. This contest is how, for over 30 years, the ministry has tried to recover those stories, with young and not-so-young people daring to write them down, which have been captured in books. We invite the entire country, all regions, to participate by sending their stories, poems, and drawings.
" Meanwhile, the executive director of FUCOA, Francisco Contardo, highlighted the contest's history, stating that "it is the oldest national literary contest in the country. The stories, tales, and narratives included in this contest are part of the Oral Tradition Archive maintained by the National Library of Chile, serving as a resource for those researching or interested in national rural culture. I extend a special invitation to children, young people, and adults living in the rural world or those with rural backgrounds to write or draw and participate.
" María Carolina Quintana, one of the winners of the 2025 edition in the O'Higgins region, appreciated the existence of …
Among this year's new features is the Special Award "Traditions of Chiloé," aimed at all three contest categories, recognizing works that rescue the unique legends, flavors, and traditions of the island in the context of its bicentennial commemoration, thus highlighting its living culture forged between sea and land. Additionally, the Educational Participation Award continues, providing laptops to educational institutions and teachers that most encourage submissions from their students. National winners can receive prizes of up to $500,000 for adults, while children and young people compete for laptops, tablets, and writing sets.
It is also noteworthy that all winning works are published in the book "Anthology," which FUCOA edits for each edition of the contest. Furthermore, all submitted works are preserved in the FUCOA Fund of the Archive of Oral Literature and Popular Traditions of the National Library, where they are consulted by researchers and the general public. To participate, works can be submitted until July 10, 2026, through the website www.
historiasdenuestratierra. cl, where the contest rules, previous results, Winners Gallery, educational material, and more information about the contest are already available.