THUNDER BAY - Organizers of the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop Writing Contest hope to find some undiscovered gems among the entries to this year's competition.
Contestants have until March 31, 2018 to submit their work in any of five categories including poetry, short fiction, historical fiction, creative non-fiction and the Bill MacDonald Prize for Prose.
"Each year NOWW's contest does something bigger and better," said contest coordinator Jodene Wylie. "If you're a reader and a writer, we want to impress you and motivate you to pull out that pen, pull up to your computer and get writing."
Some of Canada's most celebrated literary figures have agreed to serve as judges this year.
They include Governor General's Literary Award winners such as poet George Elliott Clarke and authors Ross King and Heather O'Neill; Writer's Trust Fiction Prize winner Helen Humphrey; and Thunder Bay-born Michael Christie, whose work The Beggar's Garden was shortlisted for the Giller Prize.
According to Wylie, last year's contest attracted more than 160 writers from across the country and outside Canada.
Despite so much competition, she's encouraging "anyone with a story" to enter, saying the contest provides writers with an opportunity to express themselves and experiment with new ideas, concepts and genres.
Winners will be announced at the NOWW Literary Gala in May.
Full contest details are available on the NOWW website.
