Over the past couple of months, the WCYR has hosted the annual BDO Writing Contests, culminating at the York Writers Conference, which was held from October 22 to 24, 2021. The theme of the competition was “From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary” and we had three separate divisions running, including:
- Short Story
- Glimpses: Flash Fiction
- Glimpses: Poetry
During the opening ceremonies of the conference, we announced the winners of the judged short story division. Throughout the conference, attendees were encouraged to peer-judge and select their favourite entry from each of the competitions. At the closing ceremonies, we announced the winners. Here they are:
The BDO Writing Contests Winners
Short Stories
First Place: “Silence Between Footsteps” by Kimberley Aslett
Second Place: “Renovations” by Leslie Johnstone
Third Place: “Respite in Hell” by Gloria Ferris
Honourable Mention: “My Masterpiece” by Kayla Kurin
Honourable Mention: “The Dream” by Ewa Anderson
Honourable Mention: “Survival Training” by Maria Marchese
Glimpses – Flash Fiction
First Place: “Handicapped” by Barb Bisonette
Second Place (Tied) “Splash from a Leaping Trout” by Kimberley Aslett
Second Place (Tied) “The Idea Pit” by Jeanette Paule
Honourable Mention: “Override” by Cathy Hird
Honourable Mention: “Bathroom Tiles” by Maria Marchese
Glimpses – Poetry
First Place: “I Shall be a Witch” by Barb Bissonette
Second Place: “To My Son” by Sylvia Ding
Congratulations everyone! The competition was fierce and the judges were on point, excited about the many, varied stories submitted based around our theme.
We’d also like to thank all the anonymous judges for the short story contest, who were compiled from the conference speakers, as well as from some enthusiastic past WCYR monthly seminar speakers, who are all professional writers, coaches, or publishing experts.
A special thanks to our final judge, Maria Mutch, author of the novel, Molly Falls to Earth, the short story collection, When We Were Birds, and the memoir, Know the Night, which was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.
The winners and honorable mentions will receive an invitation to be involved in the WCYR No Ordinary Day not-for-profit anthology, which is planned for publication in Winter/Spring 2022. The WCYR is also opening the anthology for general submissions as a perk to members only. Click HERE for more details.
Upcoming Events:
15 Key Editing Tricks with Greg Ioannou – November 14, 1:30pm to 4:00pm
Virtually Social: Chat Rooms and Games Rooms – December 5, 1:30pm to 4:00pm, FREE
Scrivener for Beginners with Kim McDougall – January 20, 7:00pm to 9:00pm, FREE
Sprouting Your Own Green World with Paul Coccia – February 20, 1:30pm to 4:00pm
