Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Belize’s rich cultural heritage is being celebrated as the National Celebrations Commission announces this year’s first three recipients of the Creative and Cultural Excellence Awards. The honorees are being recognized for their lasting contributions to Belizean literature, cultural preservation and the protection of indigenous knowledge. Poet and author Margaret Reynolds is this year’s recipient of the Zee Edgell Award for Literary Arts, while Master Drummer and cultural ambassador Emmeth Young receives the Leela Vernon Award for his work safeguarding and promoting cultural heritage. And Yucatec Maya leader and educator Felicita Cantun is the recipient of the Don Elijio Panti Award, honoring her efforts to protect and develop indigenous knowledge and keep Maya traditions alive. Here are Margaret Reynolds and Emmeth Young.
Belize’s rich cultural heritage is being celebrated as the National Celebrations Commission announces this year’s first three recipients of the Creative and Cultural Excellence Awards. The honorees are being recognized for their lasting contributions to Belizean literature, cultural preservation and the protection of indigenous knowledge. Poet and author Margaret Reynolds is this year’s recipient of the Zee Edgell Award for Literary Arts, while Master Drummer and cultural ambassador Emmeth Young receives the Leela Vernon Award for his work safeguarding and promoting cultural heritage. And Yucatec Maya leader and educator Felicita Cantun is the recipient of the Don Elijio Panti Award, honoring her efforts to protect and develop indigenous knowledge and keep Maya traditions alive. Here are Margaret Reynolds and Emmeth Young.
