You can join the excitement as the Islands Short Fiction contest returns for its 12th year.
Entries are being accepted from writers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf islands in three categories: adult (writers 19 and over), youth (writers 13 to 18), and junior (writers 12 and under).
The contest is co-sponsored by the Nanaimo Arts Council, the Vancouver Island Regional Library, and the Vancouver Island University Department of Creative Writing and Journalism.
More than $2,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded. “Last year’s winners hailed from throughout the region,” said VIRL’s Jennifer Seper. “And we packed the room for the awards presentation. We’re glad to see the contest has become an important part of literary life on the islands.”
The judge of the adult category in 2017 is Governor General’s Award-winner and VIU Creative Writing instructor Robert Hilles. Seper along with Julie Carter, also a VIRL librarian, will judge the junior and youth categories.
The winner of the youth category will be published in the anthology In Our Own Voice – 2017 from Rebel Mountain Press, and first-, second-, and third-place stories in all categories will be published on the ISFC website.
The entry deadline is March 27, 2017.
Entry forms are available at isfc.ca and all Vancouver Island Regional Library branches. A $20 fee is charged per adult entry. There is no fee for the youth and junior categories. Winners will be announced at a reception in Nanaimo in April. For further information, e-mail admin@isfc.ca or phone 250-729-3947 (Nanaimo). The winning entries from recent years can be read at isfc.ca.