WFNS Announces Winners of the 34th Atlantic Writing Competition

The Writers Federation of Nova Scotia hve just revealed the winners of the 34th Atlantic Writing competition.

…and this year they’ll be doing an awards ceremony as part of Word on the Street Halifax, Septemebr 25th, at 11 a.m. It’ll kick off the day.

The Atlantic Writing Competition is a great conglomerate of awards for unpublished work in more than 5 categories. It has, over the years, been a springboard for names as notable today as Amy Jones, Budge Wilson, Ami McKay, Lesley Choyce, and George Elliott Clarke. Past winners of the H.R Bill Percy prize for an unpublished manuscript have gone on to be published, including great novels like Syr Ruus’s Lovesongs of Emmanuel Taggart, Chris Benjamin’s Drive-By Saviors, and Goose Lane will be publishing Scott Fotheringham’s The Rest Is Silence in 2012.

So, somebody should give Charlotte Mendel a call. And Kat Kruger.

Congrats to all the winners and honourable mentions and WFNS for pulling this off a 34th time, and continuingto make it a bigger and better thing.

P.S –> The deadline for the 35^th Atlantic Writing Competition is November 4, 2011.

The Budge Wilson Short Story Prize

Judged by Steven Mayoff

 1^st Prize: “I Heard A Small Boy Singing: A Memoir” by Gillian M. Osmond
2^nd Prize: “The Championship” by Melanie Furlong
3^rd Prize: “A Dip After Work” by Leah Benvie Hamilton

Honourable Mention: “Moving Forward” by Sue Carter Flinn

The H.R. (Bill) Percy Unpublished Novel Prize

Judged by Chris Benjamin

 1st Prize: Turn Us Again by Charlotte Mendel
2nd Prize: For a Song by Peggy Hogan
3rd Prize: That Thing That Happened by Libby Broadbent

 The Young Adult/Juvenile Unpublished Novel Prize

Judged by Jessica Scott Kerrin

 1st Place: The Night has Teeth byKat Kruger
2nd Place: Spider’s Parlor byLori McKay
3rd Place: Lore Isle byJiin Kim

The Joyce Barkhouse Writing for Children Prize

Judged by Lisa Doucet

1^st Prize: “Hiding in the Fireplace” by Lisa-Marie Brunnen
2^nd Prize: “Tap, Tap, Twirl” by Bonnie MacIver
3^rd Prize: “Henrietta’s Nightlight” by Alice Whitney

The Poetry Prize

Judged by Alice Burdick

 1st Prize: “November Poems” byJanet Kennedy
2^nd Prize: “This Liminal Place” byBrian Braganza
3^rd Prize: “Tenacious Enunciations: Five Poems Inspired by Christian Bök” byJeremy Smith

Honourable Mention: “Drifting” byCarey Bray

The Creative Non-Fiction Prize

Winners selected by anonymous three-person jury

 1^st Prize: “The Cross Road” by Brian Braganza
2^nd Prize: “Memoir” by Bosko Loncarevic
3^rd Prize: “Reflections on Moving Wood” by Roger Field

Honourable Mention: “263 Miles From Brazzaville” by David Speare