Inter-America: Publishing Association crowns three winners during regional editorial contest

Nathaniel Edison (center) is still in shock as he holds his winning prize check and gets a hug from Antillean Adventist University President Obed Jimenez (left) and tug on the elbow from Inter-American Division President Israel Leito, during the Inter-American Publishing Association Editorial Talent Contest held in Miami, Florida, on October 22, 2013. Edison who is originally from the United States and who studies at the Antillean Adventist University in Puerto Rico, competed against other finalists from seven IAD Spanish-speaking universities taking the $6,000 top scholarship award after only learning to speak Spanish in 2008.  Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

October 31, 2013 – Miami, Florida, United States…Libna Stevens/IAD

The Inter-American Division Publishing Association (IADPA), one of two publishing houses overseen by the Inter-American Division (IAD), crowned three student winners during its grand finale editorial contest held on Oct. 22, 2013, in Miami, Florida. The event brought eight finalists representing eight Spanish-speaking Adventist universities for a final competition after two rounds of regional competitions in which more than 500 students participated this year.

Finalists from eight Adventist universities participated in IADPA’s Editorial Talent Contest, held at the Inter-American Division Headquarters in Miami, Florida. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

Finalists participated in a two-part test which included editing passages, rewriting short stories, displaying their knowledge of church authors, as well as a computer test on grammar, language arts, theology, Bible, history of Adventist Church and general culture.

Nathaniel Edison, 27, originally from Vermont and a theology major at Antillean Adventist University in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, took the top spot by a margin of 31 points, shocking other finalists, organizers and the audience because he learned to speak Spanish in 2008.

Edison, who is in his final year of Theology, received a $6,000 scholarship and a standing ovation from his peers and the audience.

IADPA President Pablo Perla congratulated Edison for his outstanding editorial talent. “If you want to work at IADPA, you have a job right now there,” said Perla.

Edison is astonished at what God has done in his life. He is still amazed by what has happened since entering the contest at the suggestion of one of his professors.

“God met me during a time I was really discouraged,” said Edison, who was fascinated by the Spanish language when he heard it spoken at his Michigan work place. “When I encountered Spanish it became a passion to master the language and brought me to a call to the ministry,” Edison added.

Being passionate about the language was one reason for organizing the contest, said Perla.

Inter-American Division Publishing Association President Pastor Pablo Perla says the aim of the contest was “to seek out talented students, promote culture and ignite the love of reading and the Spanish language in Adventist universities. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

“Our aim in this competition was to seek out talented students, promote culture, and ignite the love of reading and the Spanish language in Adventist universities,” said Perla. “An additional aim was to awaken an interest in students by letting them know there are career opportunities for those who study language and edit books.”

The contest took shape after it was voted by the top body of church leaders during one of its executive committee meetings last year in coordination with the Office of Education which oversees 13 Adventist Universities throughout Inter-America.

The competition only took place throughout nine Spanish-speaking Adventist universities due to the fact that IADPA has four in-house Spanish editors for its publications, versus one editor for English and one for French publications, organizers said. The finalist from Venezuela Adventist University was unable to attend due to visa issues.

Raul Olivo, 28, of Navojoa Adventist University in Mexico, took the second spot during the final competition. With a major in Theology and a passion for the language, Olivo credits his parents for instilling a love for the Bible and classic literature. His second place win earned him a $3,000 scholarship at Navojoa Adventist University.

Carlos Dominguez, 21, of Linda Vista Adventist University in Chiapas, Mexico, grabbed the third spot, trailing just three points behind Olivo. A Theology major, Dominguez competed against two dozen students, many of whom are majoring in Spanish in Linda Vista. He loves many classic authors but considers the Bible his favorite and most complete of all books ever written.

The competition left organizers dreaming of future contests.

Top winners from left to right: Carlos Dominguez of Linda Vista University (third place), Nathaniel Edison of Antillean Adventist University (first place), and Raul Olivo of Navojoa Adventist University (second place) hold their prizes after two-hour-finale program. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

“We would like to hold a similar contest for our English-speaking universities in the near future,” said Perla. “For that to happen we need to set a larger editorial staff.”

In the meantime, Perla said that they are basking in the fact that the competition confirmed many good things during their many travels to the universities during the first two regional contests.

“We were excited to see that there is so much talent out there in our Adventist universities in editorial work,” said Perla. “The academic programs are very good in preparing students and we are happy that the IAD is supportive of students to have work options in IADPA.”

The competition was open to any students who wanted to enter the contest in their respective universities, organizers said.

The event has prompted IADPA leaders to continue pursuing talented students throughout Inter-America. Perhaps a graphic designer competition may be next, Perla said.

Other participants in the grand finale program included:

Betsabé Cavazos of Montemorelos University, in Mexico.
César Augusto Cifuentes of Colombia Adventist University, in Colombia.
Ludwing García of the Dominican Adventist University, in the Dominican Republic
Karen Guerra, Central American Adventist University, in Costa Rica.
Elías Sánchez, Cuba Adventist Seminary, in Cuba.

Monica Diaz contributed to this article

To view a photo gallery of Inter-American Division Publishing Association editorial contest, click here