Delta, B.C. - This summer aspiring young writers between the ages of 10 and 17 were invited to send in short stories of no more than 1500 words to the second annual Junior Authors Short Story Contest. Entries trickled in through July and August but by Labour Day forty-two contestants from across the Lower Mainland had sent in a total of fifty-six stories.

Noa Wang of Ladner won first prize in the 10-13 age category with her vivid short story “Ocean Ghost.” When the ten-year-old author was asked what inspired her she replied, “My family and I took trips to the beach and my dad would go fishing and my sister and I splashed around with a butterfly net catching baby fish. Now, because of that story, I can finally get those books I’ve been gaping at in Chapters.”

Wang’s spooky tale won her a $100 Chapters gift card donated by Ricki Willing of Sutton Seafair Realty. Wang’s second entry, “The Bitter Side of Sugar,” was also a judges’ favourite, taking fourth place in a very competitive field.

Rounding out the top finishers in the 10-13 category were twelve-year-old Emily Lieuwen of Ladner with her second place story, “Confessions of a Daredevil,” which was inspired by the film Confessions of a Shopaholic and reading about an arson in the newspaper. Lieuwen takes home prizes sponsored by Ladner United Church and Starbucks at Scott and 72nd.

Surrey’s Anokh Singh Dhillon took third prize in 10-13 category with his military history tale “The Sea of Blood.” The thirteen-year-old writer said the story was inspired by his passion for human rights and “the need for the truth to be told by the underdog.” Dhillon takes home a gift certificate donated by Kidsbooks in Vancouver.

Contest veteran Monica Nederend, also of Ladner, captured the top prize in the 14-17 age category. Last year Nederend’s “Listening Doesn’t Require Words” won second prize and this year it was her story, “The Way the Pages Turn,” that won her a $100 Chapters gift card donated by Tsawwassen First Nation. When asked what inspired her, the fifteen-year-old replied, “My grandfather had a shelf full of diaries written by his father and I thought it would be cool to write about them.”

“Incomplete Assembly” by North Delta resident Mariah Dear took second place in the 14-17 category. The fourteen-year-old said that her entire story was built from a sentence that she had written years ago. Dear will be taking home prizes donated by Sublime Art Supplies and Tim Hortons in Tsawwassen.

Fifteen-year-old Sage Brownell of Coquitlam won third place for her story, “Reminiscence,” which is based on a vivid childhood memory and her love of writing. She has won a gift certificate from Once Upon a Huckleberry Bush Bookstore in Vancouver.

Overall, contest organizer and judge Laura Thomas said that she and co-judge Joanne Ashdown were thrilled with the calibre of the entries. Ashdown, a former editor at MacMillan Canada said, “I was impressed by the creativity of all these young writers. The winning writers connected with me as a reader through their use of sensory language and plot devices. While their writing skills are not yet sharply honed, I was profoundly moved by their emerging talent and potential.”

To encourage the contestants to keep honing their skills, Thomas will be available for one-on-one consultations. “Not winning is hard,” said Thomas who’s own stories are passed over by editors on a regular basis even though she’ a published writer, “but it’s part of the writing industry. You win once in a while, you lose most of the time, and in the meantime you keep crafting stories and sending them out.”

Thomas will be holding free ten-minute consultations with contestants on Saturday, September 26th at the Ladner Leisure Centre in the poolside room. Kelly Wilson, Recreation Programmer at Delta Parks, said, “I think this is a great way for young people to get the feedback they need to grow as authors. I hope everyone takes advantage of it.” Contestants who cannot attend on Saturday can set up a telephone consultation.

Constants have also been invited to attend a free online workshop on Monday, September 28th during which Thomas will go over the steps to writing a short story and field questions about the contest. The Monday session is for contestants only, but Thomas will hold a similar session on Tuesday evening that is open to all young writers.

Thomas plans to run the contest again next summer. Her continued goal is to make Delta a hot-spot for young writers, a community that enthusiastically supports not only literacy but the art and craft of fiction writing. She would like extend a special thanks to Delta Parks, Recreation and Culture for supporting this initiative.

Thomas’ next Junior Authors Creative Writing Course begins Saturday, October 3 at the Kinsmen House in Ladner. To register see the Delta Parks Leisure Guide or call 604-952-3000. To read the top stories or to find out more about Thomas’ courses and workshops please visit www.AgentStory.net.


Results of the second annual Junior Authors Short Story Contest 2009. Two age catetories: 10-13 and 14-17.
 
   
Laura Thomas
604-307-4971
info@agentstory.net

 
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