The 9th-annual Okanagan Short Fiction Contest is expanding its boundaries. Formerly, only writers from the Okanagan Valley were eligible to submit entries, but the 2007 contest is now open to anyone living in B.C.'s Southern Interior, within the listening area of CBC Radio One from Kelowna. This includes all residents west of the Alberta border, south of William's Lake, east of Hope and north of the U.S. border.
Writers have until March 16, 2007, to submit short stories for the Okanagan Short Fiction Contest, sponsored by Okanagan College, UBC Okanagan and the Central Okanagan Foundation.
Cash prizes are offered for the best adult short fiction from the Southern Interior. Stories ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 words are eligible; however, all entries must be original, unpublished works of fiction, submitted on 8 ½” by 11” plain white paper, double-spaced and typed. There is no limit on the number of entries, but a $12 entry fee is required with each.
“Winners of the Okanagan Short Fiction Contest receive more than just a cash prize," says Nancy Holmes, a Creative Writing Professor at UBC Okanagan and one of the contest's organizers. "They gain exposure as a writer in B.C., participate in a public reading, have their story published in a limited-edition chapbook and have excerpts broadcast on CBC radio. The quality of winning stories is very high.”
Entries are judged by Creative Writing faculty from Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan, and an external judge who is a nationally renowned fiction writer. Prizes are $500 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third.
The short list of winners will be announced by May 2007.
Mail entries and a $12 cheque to:
Okanagan Short Fiction Contest
c/o Creative Studies Secretary
Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
UBC Okanagan
3333 University Way
Kelowna, B.C. V1V 1V7
For more info, contact Nancy Holmes at 250.807.9369. Complete contest rules are online at www.okstorycontest.org.
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