The Vancouver Writers Fest is offering young writers a chance at cash prizes and publishing by inviting them to enter poems and stories in the Spreading the Word youth writing contest for B.C. secondary school students. Winners of the contest will be awarded a cash prize and have their work published in a magazine that showcases aspiring young writers.
The youth writing contest was launched last year for students enrolled in Grades 8 to 12 in British Columbia.
The Spreading the Word Youth Writing Contest will accept entries of poetry, with a 500-word limit, and creative short fiction, with a 1,500-word limit. The work must be previously unpublished in each category. First prize in each category is $300, with a second prize award of $200. Prize winners, selected by a panel of publishing and writing professionals, will be published in The Claremont Review and on the Vancouver Writers Fest website at www.writersfest.bc.ca.
Closing date for entries is 5 pm on the final day of the Vancouver Writers Fest, Sunday, Oct. 26. Students are encouraged to enter online at www.writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest.