THUNDER BAY — The Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop has officially opened its 21st annual writing competition with the announcement of an all-star panel of judges featuring the winners of major writing awards.
This year's competition includes a new category for young readers. Middle Grade Novel Excerpt will be judged by Eric Walters, who's penned 97 books including Elephant Secret.
It's aimed at audiences between the ages 8 to 12, for submissions of 1,200 to 1,500 words.
"Middle Grade is this unexplored category for the NOWW writing competition," says contest coordinator Jodene Wylie. "We've never considered this age group before but we know there are readers for it and where there are writers."
Other categories include Short Fiction/2,000-3,500 words, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction/1500-3000 words, and the Bill MacDonald Prize for Prose (Fiction)/2,000-3,500 words.
Besides Walters, the lineup of judges features Governor General Award winner Guy Vanderhaeghe, two-time Giller Prize winner M.G. Vassanji, Griffin Poetry Prize winner Jane Munro, and Thunder Bay-born Governor General Award winner Diane Schoemperlen.
The deadline for submissions is one month sooner than in the past—March 1.
Entrants do not have to be a member of NOWW to participate in the competition.
"This contest is about supporting writers and literary artists and inspiring them to create and imagine new worlds, places and people," Wylie said.
Complete rules and entry guidelines are available at www.nowwwriters.ca.
