Amid ten desserts from such countries as France and Japan and an international array of music, contestants from 31 countries waited anxiously for the results of the 2007 Harry Kurnitz Creative Writing Awards.

In their 41st year, the awards honor creative works written by UCLA international students.

This year, there were a record 88 entries by 70 students, ranging from undergraduates to doctorate candidates, in 40 different areas of study. Because entries can include multiple works, over 200 works were submitted.

Some contestants said they appreciated the competition’s focus on international students.

“I don’t think there is a lot of resources for international students. (English is) not our first language and it’s maybe a greater achievement (to be in the competition),” said Nebila Abdulmelik, a fourth-year international development studies student from Ethiopia.

There were six prizes handed out, first and second place for each of three categories: poetry, short works and long works.

The short works included short stories and plays and the long works included screenplays and novels.

The topics ranged from contestants’ appreciation of their homelands to ideas of peace and justice to personal experiences.

“A lot of entries reflect the individual’s life struggles of being international students. Art should be about reflecting your life,” said Timothy Battle, a theater professor and one of the 12 faculty judges.

While many of the students write regularly on their own, the competition pushed some students to finish pieces they had already begun.

Qingyang Chu, a first-year global studies student from China, started his short novel about an Arab boy and Chinese girl last April, but made a push to finish it in time for the competition.

“I’ve always wanted to submit the stories I’ve been writing. This gives me a motivation to finish my work,” Chu said.

The judges were very pleased with the quality of work and the large number of participants, Battle said.

“(The entries) were exceptional: a lot of creativity in the writing, a lot of future poets and writers,” he said.

The six winners took home plaques and prize money ranging from $500 to $2500.

The top prize, first place in long works, went to Tarique Qayumi, who is a master’s student in the School of Theater, Film and Television. Qayumi is originally from Afghanistan but also lived in Canada.

His screenplay, “Beverly Hills Burka” is about an Afghan girl who is sent to the U.S. in an arranged marriage and then becomes an American woman.

Qayumi said he was very excited about his win.

“It was fantastic! I am very, very encouraged. It’s really encouraging for someone whose English is not the first language,” Qayumi said.

Other first-place winners are Paul Malapitan Ocampo from the Philippines for short works and Hui Ping Diana Long from Malaysia in poetry.

Ocampo, an Asian American studies graduate student, wrote a short story about mother and daughter immigrants and the conflict of generations in their lives.

Second-place winners included Adriana Montenegro from Bolivia in long works, Jacqueline Tsang from Hong Kong in short works and Qi Wang from China in poetry.

Ocampo said he was impressed with the quality of work submitted in the competition.

“People are such great writers here,” he said. “I’m honored to be here.”