As in prior years, the Company also provided support for a local festival that takes place the first Sunday in June in the old Pedro de Valdivia nitrates office where former residents return to the city to celebrate its anniversary with parades, artistic performances and a Catholic mass. Another initiative that SQM has spearheaded for local culture, supported by Antofagasta’s El Mercurio newspaper, is the literary contest “Stories of the Pampa”, which has attracted hundreds of participants in its three years, demonstrating the interest and creative energy of these hopeful writers.