Saint Lucian culture was celebrated during the inaugural National Kwéyòl Spelling Competition 2026, or Fèt Matjé Kwéyòl Sent Lisi, on February 17. The event was spearheaded by the Msgr Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre and was held at the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC). It formed part of the 2026 Independence celebrations.
Students from primary, secondary and tertiary levels, as well as individuals from the public and private sectors, participated. They were invited to compete as a team of 3 or enter individually.
The event was split into two segments: spelling and dictation. The spelling competition, which included all participants, took the form of writing: participants wrote the words on paper, and the scripts were collected and marked. The second segment was the dictation competition for individuals only.
Following the two rounds, here are the results:
INDIVIDUAL
Spelling + Dictation
1st: Sam Eudovicque
2nd: Stephanie Fenelon
SCHOOL GROUPS (Spelling)
Primary
1: Mon Repos/Patience (4 errors)
2: Vide Boutielle Primary (6 errors)
3: Ti Rocher Micoud (7 errors)
Secondary
1: Sir Arthur Lewis Community College
2 (Tie): St. Joseph’s Convent, St. Mary’s College
“The level was very high,” Lindy-Ann Alexander, one of the coordinators for the event, told St. Lucia Times. “We’re very impressed with the level of students because the number of errors was very low. So it tells me that for most of them, and most of them learned it very late, it shows you how easy the Kweyòl writing system is to learn.
“We had a very special situation today. We had ties. We had a tie in both the spelling and the dictation, and the ties involved the same people who vied for first and second place. So the dictation, we had the same winner; the same person who won the spelling competition in the individual category won the dictation competition in the individual category.”
Through sponsors such as the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Education and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Alexander believes the organisers can make it an annual event.
“The response from the public for sponsorship was good, and we hope to make it much bigger and better and have a lot more promotion early so people can have time to practice and be ready for the spelling competition.”
Winning schools received $600, and team members $100 each. Every school also received a creole dictionary. The individual winner walked away with a cash prize, a tablet and a dinner for two.
