The Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Culture announced today that the work "Mau Tempo e Má Sorte - Contos pouco exemplares" won the first edition of the Daniel de Sá Humanities Award, which was recently established by the Azorean Government. Signed under the pseudonym Orlando Paz, the work was written by Maria Leonor Sampaio da Silva.

The jury's decision was unanimous and took several aspects into consideration: "firstly, the theme of the tales that falls within the scope of the competition; secondly, the dynamic narrative of the tales; thirdly, the quality of the dialogue and language use; fourthly, the coherence and consistency of the work."

The recipient of the prize holds the position of Assistant Professor at the Department of Modern Languages and Literature of the University of the Azores. She is also the Coordinator of the Master’s Degree on Translation and Linguistic Consultancy.

Maria Leonor Sampaio da Silva has published essays and literary reviews on a regular basis. She has been a member of the Scientific Commission of the Regional Reading Plan since 2011.

The jury has also decided to award two honourable mentions to the following works: "A Baleação e o Estado Novo: industrialização e organização corporativa (1937-1958)," signed James Bartley, by Francisco Maia Pereira Bruno Henriques and "Pequeno Livro de Elegias Açorianas," signed Inês Madressilva, by Daniel da Silva Gonçalves.

With a cash value of 12 thousand Euros, the Daniel de Sá Humanities Award is awarded by the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Education, Science and Culture. It aims to distinguish, every two years, an original work written in Portuguese under the “Azores" theme by a national or foreign author. This prize is divided into the categories of Literature, Linguistics, History, Philosophy, Sociology and Anthropology.

The members of this jury are as follows: Carlos Reis, University of Coimbra; Avelino Meneses and Rui Sousa Martins, University of the Azores; João Saramago, researcher at the Centre of Linguistics of the University of Lisbon and writer João de Melo.

The prize will awarded this year during a public session where the winning work will also be launched. "Mau Tempo e Má Sorte - Contos pouco exemplares" will be published by the Regional Secretariat for Education, Science and Culture through the Regional Directorate for Culture.