EWF Contest Deadline - Extended to Tuesday, April 18!

We heard that you needed a bit more time to get those stories and Canada 150 essays ready, and we're good with that. So here you go: the EWF Writing Contest deadline has been extended to:

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Go. Now! You have more time!

Go! Now! You have more time!

Get those stories and essays polished and mailed to us. And if you're in the neighbourhood, feel free to drop your entries at Roxanne's Reflections Book & Card Shop, 152 St. Andrew St. W, in Fergus.

Need more information about the contest? Here's everything you need to know:

Categories:

1. Adult: Age 20+ (Entry fee $15; Prizes $200, $150, $100)

2. Teen*: Age 14-19  (Prizes $200, $150, $100)

3. Youth*: Age 13 and under (Prizes $150, $100, $50)

*Open to young writers who reside in Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin, Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth counties/regions.

Theme: Open – just tell us a great story

Special Canada 150 Essay Category:

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, write a personal essay of 1,000 words maximum on the topic “My Canadian moment.” Open to all age groups, residents of Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin, Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth counties/regions. Winners will be judged on content and theme. No entry fee.

Deadline: Postmarked by TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017

Title Page: Category; Title of story; Writer's name, address, email address (Youth and Teen writers may use parent or teacher contact information); Include age for Teen and Youth writers.

Entry: Double-spaced; Writer's name on title page only; $15 entry fee for Adult category only (Please make out cheques to Elora Arts Council)

Send to:  EWF Writing Competition, c/o Elora Arts Council, Box 3084, Elora ON  N0B 1S0

Winners:  Announced 12 p.m. ET, Sunday, May 21, 2017 on the Elora Writers' Festival blogsite

Grab your pens, pencils and keyboards! Our 2017 EWF Writing Contest is launched!

Here's everything you need to know about Contest 2017:

DEADLINE: 

Postmarked on or before Monday, April 10, 2017 (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Original, unpublished fiction stories in the following categories/age groups: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.

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

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.)

NEW Canadian Essay Category for 2017

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, write a personal essay of 1,000

words maximum on the topic: “My Canadian moment.” Open to all age groups, residents of

Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin, Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth counties/regions. Winners

will be judged on content and theme. No entry fee.

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 Arts Council).

MAIL ENTRIES TO: 

EWF Writing Contest, c/o Elora Arts Council, Box 3084, Elora ON N0B 1S0.

AND JUST A FEW MORE DETAILS:

To qualify, entries must be postmarked by Monday, April 10, 2017.

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

Winners will be announced at noon on Sunday, May 21 on the Elora Writers’ Festival blogsite:

http://elorawritersfestival.blogspot.ca.

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

Announcing the 2016 EWF Short Story Contest winners!

It all started here...

We received almost 100 entries to our contest this year, and our judges have spent the last six weeks reading, considering, evaluating and making their selections.

Finally, the decisions have been made and here they are, the winners of the 2016 EWF Short Story Contest:

In the YOUTH category (age 14 and under)

(Judges: Lisa Dalrymple, Lisa MacColl, Kira Vermond)

First Prize

Madeline Vukovic for Dear World

Second Prize

Becca Swan for The Journey

Third Prize

J. Zimmerman for The Most Colourful Climbing Tree

The final round of judging also included:

Jiya Gangwani Believe

Joshua Doupe I Am an Orange

Jonah Doupe One Cold Day

Benjamin Richards 240 Hours

Turner Duldhart Opportunity Knocks

Mariana Lalla My Family

In the TEEN category (age 15-19)

(Judges: Heather Wright, Heather Debling)

First Prize

Eric Bernhardt for October’s Storm

Second Prize

Candice Rubie for Gloves

Third Prize

Hunter Gutman for Itch

The final round of judging also included:

Cate Newman In Search of the Elusive Moonflower

Madeline Burgess It’s Not a Mistake

Sammy Beynon Stalemate

A.C. Franklin Reflections

Emma Chiera Advancements

In the ADULT category (age 20 and older)

(Judges: Bieke Stengos, Lisa McLean, Francis Baker, Michael Hale)

First Prize

Tammy Gilbert for If You’re Gonna Live

Second Prize

Vera Constantineau for Searching for Peace

Third Prize

Melanie Scott for Jump

The final round of judging also included:

David S. Cross White

Mary Steer Miracle at IKEA

Katrine Raymond Fifteen Minutes

Lisa MacColl A Day at the Park

Marion Reidel The Diagnosis

Kim Murray The School Bus Graveyard

Lori Twining Seashells, Swans and Ice Cream

Congratulations to the contest winners, and a special thank-you to our hard-working judges.

Thanks also to our two sponsors, The Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington (Youth category), and the Elora Arts Council (Teen category), two organizations which join us in recognizing the importance of supporting and encouraging young writers.

During the intermission of the 2016 Elora Writers’ Festival on Sunday, May 29 (1-4 p.m.), any winners in attendance will receive their prizes – along with a big round of applause from the Festival audience and authors.

And speaking of the Festival authors, here’s our fantastic line-up, in case you missed it:

J.M. Frey – The Untold Tale (Fantasy and beyond – think “ComicCon goes wild”)

Dietrich Kalteis – The Deadbeat Club  (Gritty crime thriller of the noir persuasion)

Douglas Gibson – Across Canada by Story  (Behind the scenes with some of Canada’s favourite authors)

Pamela Mordecai – Red Jacket (Joyful Caribbean heart and voice)

Terry Fallis – Poles Apart (Feminism rules! But wait a minute….)

Please join us! You can reserve and pick up tickets at Roxanne's Reflections Book and Card Shop in Fergus (Phone 519-843-4391) or by ordering online through the Theatre on the Grand box office (find the link to their ticketing website, here.)