Entrants for a romantic writing competition organized by the AWDC had until Monday this week to submit their heartstring-tugging Valentine's Day texts for a chance to win a heart-shaped diamond.

The Confessions of the Heart writing competition was open for entries from January 5 to February 1 with around 200 people sending in their entries.
 
The text had to be in Dutch, contain the word diamond at least once, and be no more than 250 words in length.
 
The text could be in the form of a poem or story but did not have to be about sweet love. It could be hard, funny, sad or adopt any other form – the aim was simply to write about love
 
Following the deadline for entries, a jury will this week select a shortlist of five finalists. The jury is headed by Peter Holvoet-Hanssen, the official Antwerp City Poet.
 
The other jury members represent AWDC, the organizer, and the partners and sponsors of the contest, including the Stadsfeestzaal shopping centre, Gazet van Antwerpen, NMBS – the Belgian state railway company, NMBS Holding, the city of Antwerp council, and the Diamond Museum of the Province of Antwerp.
 
Next week, February 8-12, readers of Gazet van Antwerpen can vote for their favourite text out of the shortlist of five to be posted on the newspaper's website.
 
The shortlisted texts will be posted in Antwerp's Central Train Station and the Stadsfeestzaal centre.
 
The winners will receive their prizes at a special awards ceremony at the Central Train Station on February 14 at 11:00 A.M.
 
One winner will be selected by the professional jury and another by voters via the Gazet van Antwerpen website. Each will receive a heart-shaped diamond, mounted in a jewel and accompanied by an Antwerp HRD Jewellery Report.
 
Three others on the shortlist will receive a smaller heart-shaped diamond, while five smaller heart-shaped gems will be presented to five voters on the Gazette's website.