Our annual EWF Writing Contest is now open for entries!

Here's everything you need to know about Contest 2018:

DEADLINE: 

Postmarked on or before Friday, March 2, 2018 (no email or faxed entries).

CATEGORIES: 

Original, unpublished fiction stories in the following categories/age groups:

Youth: Age 13 and under, 1,000 words maximum, open to residents of Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin, Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth counties/regions, no entry fee. Limit: TWO entries per person.

Teen: Age 14-19, 2,000 words maximum, open to residents of Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin, Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth counties/regions, no entry fee. Limit: TWO entries per person.

Open: Any age, up to and including adults, 2,000 words maximum, open to all Canadian

residents, $15 entry fee. Prizes of $200, $150 and $100. (Stories submitted to the Open category cannot also be submitted to Youth or Teen categories.)

PRIZES will be awarded in all categories.

CONTEST ENTRY DETAILS:

• Entries must be double-spaced, typed or printed.
• The author’s name should not appear on the story itself.
• On a separate title page, include category, story title, writer’s name, address, email (Youth and Teen writers may use parent or teacher email for contact information).
• On the first page of the story include the title.
• Title and page number should be on following pages.
• Youth and Teen entries, please indicate author’s age on the title page.
• Adult category please include $15 entry fee (cheque payable to Elora Writers Festival).

MAIL ENTRIES TO: 

EWF Writing Contest, c/o Roxanne’s Reflections, 152 St. Andrew St. W., Fergus

ON N1M 1N5. Note: This is a new mailing address for the contest. To qualify, entries must be

postmarked by Friday, March 2, 2018.

Entries may also be dropped off at Roxanne’s Reflections, 152 St. Andrew St. W., Fergus before 5

p.m. Friday, March 2, 2018.

AND JUST A FEW MORE DETAILS:

Shortlisted authors will be contacted for an electronic copy of their story for final judging.

Winners will be announced at noon on Sunday, April 29, 2018 on the Elora Writers’ Festival blogsite:

http://elorawritersfestival.blogspot.ca.

For more information contact contest chair Francis Baker at EWFwritingcontest@gmail.com.

Announcing the 2014 EWF Short Story Contest

We're back!

     After taking a year off, the 10th EWF writing contest returns to welcome local writers of any age or experience to win prizes for their unpublished short stories exploring the theme Home.

     Writers in Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin, Grey-Bruce, Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth counties/regions are encouraged to submit their short stories to the new and revamped 2014 EWF Short Story Contest, a feature of the 20th annual Elora Writers’ Festival taking place on Sunday, May 25 in Aboyne Hall at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.

The winners will be announced here, on the Festival blogsite at noon on Saturday, May 24, 2014. Prizes will be presented to any winners attending the Elora Writers’ Festival on Sunday, May 25, 2014.  Attendance at the Elora Writers’ Festival is not required in order to win a prize.

Contest judges include Kitchener-Waterloo writers Sharon Blomfield, whose travel articles have appeared in many Canadian and international publications, and Heather Wright, author of Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Teens. Also among the judges are Guelph’s Kira Vermond, whose book for young readers, The Secret Life of Money was nominated for the OLA’s Red Maple award; short story author Lisa McLean; playwright and author Heather Debling; Wellington Advertiser reporter and columnist Kelly Waterhouse; and Fergus’s Lisa Dalrymple, author of the children’s picture book Skink on the Brink.

Why this year’s local focus? Past EWF writing contests attracted submissions from writers across North America and around the world, but this year – the Festival’s 20th Anniversary – the focus is on celebrating the community that has faithfully shared in the annual afternoon of readings by such diverse Canadian literary stars as Nino Ricci, Louise Penny, Terry Fallis, Thomas King, Priscilla Uppal, Jean Little – and so many more. This year, The Elora Writers’ Festival welcomes readers and writers Home.

Contest Details

Eligibility: Residents of Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin and Hamilton-Wentworth counties

Deadline:  Entries must be postmarked by Friday, April 4, 2014  Thursday, April 17.

Categories:  Adult (20+) 2000 words; Teen (14-19) 2000 words; Youth (13 and under) 1000 words.

Theme: Home (whatever that means to each individual writer…)

How to Enter:  Mail your story – typed, double-spaced (double-sided is acceptable) – to EWF Short Story Contest, c/o Elora Arts Council, PO Box 3084, Elora ON N0B 1S0. Include a title page with name, contact information including email, and title of submission. To ensure blind judging, the author’s name should not appear anywhere on the story manuscript. Writers of shortlisted stories will be asked to send an electronic copy of their story for final judging.

Entry Fee:  Please note that submissions to the Adult category (20 and older) must include a $15 entry fee.

Prizes:  Cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in each category. 

Adult: $200, $150, $100

Teen: $200, $150, $100

Youth: $150, $100, $50

Contact:  For more information, contact Jean Mills, the Contest Chair, at EWFwritingcontest@gmail.com

Update:

The deadline has been extended. Go here for details!!http://elorawritersfestival.blogspot.ca/2014/04/wake-up-ewf-short-story-contest.html

It's not too late...

From: Mytton Williams Design

As the deadline for the EWF Writing Competition approaches - yes! This Friday, April 27! – two more judges offer their advice to writers.

Writing Tip: “Have fun!”
"When I sit down to write each day, I try to let go of any worries I have about my writing. Instead I think, 'I'm going to have a lot of fun with this!' By thinking positive thoughts before I sit down, it makes my writing not only a lot easier, but better too!"
 — Kira Vermond, author of The Secret Life of Money: A Kid’s Guide to Cash, published by Owlkids Books (Judge: Poetry, Category 3)

Writing Tip: “Keep it simple!”

"You don't have to be fancy to write well. Fancy, high-fallutin' words don't show you can write, they can make your reader mad if they don't know what the words mean and no one likes to feel stupid. Simple words can tell a story. For example, look at this sentence: 'For sale. Wedding dress. Never worn.' Simple words can paint the picture."
— Lisa MacColl (Judge: Short Story, Category 4)

You can find contest details here...

And more advice and Competition links here...