There were more than 140 submissions for this year’s Okanagan Short Story Contest. Photo by Yannick Pulver on Unsplash
Judge Frances Greenslade congratulates the region’s many talented writers
What: Okanagan Short Story Contest winners to be announced
Who: UBCO creative writing program
When: Friday, April 16 at 7 p.m.
Where: Online via Zoom
It’s time for a virtual drum roll.
UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS) is hosting an event Friday where it will share the winners of the 2021 Okanagan Short Story Contest.
The annual contest awards the best new short stories by fiction writers in BC’s Southern Interior, including residents east of Hope, west of the Alberta border, north of the US border and south of Williams Lake. Past winners have gone on to publish with Penguin Random House, Arsenal Pulp Press, NeWest Press as well as numerous magazines and journals nationally and internationally.
This year, a total of 140 short story entries were submitted for the adult category, along with 82 stories for the high school category.
“We were blown away by the number of submissions this year,” says FCCS Professor Nancy Holmes. “Maybe COVID-19 has given people a bit more time to stay home and write. Whatever the case, with the largest number of entries in years, it made the decisions tough.”
This year’s contest judge is Frances Greenslade, acclaimed Canadian author and English professor at Okanagan College.
“There were so many well-crafted stories to choose from,” says Greenslade. “Reading the shortlist submissions reminded me what a strong writing community we have in the Okanagan.”
For a look at the shortlisted authors, visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/okanagan-short-story-contest-shortlist-announced
The top three stories receive cash prizes of $1,000, $400 and $200; the first prize winner also wins a one-week retreat at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre in Kelowna. The top story by a high school student receives a cash prize of $200.
Co-sponsors of the contest are FCCS, TD and the Central Okanagan Foundation.
The event is part of the FCCS Spring Festival of the Arts, and is free and open to the public. It will take place on Friday, April 16 at 7 p.m. with a chance to hear readings from the winners. To register, go to fccs.ok.ubc.ca/short-story
