The Writers' Union of Canada is pleased to launch its 13th annual Writing for Children Competition, which invites writers to submit a piece for children up to 1,500 words in the English language that has not previously been published in any format. A $1,500 prize will be awarded to an unpublished Canadian writer, and the entries of the winner and finalists will be submitted to three publishers of children's books. The deadline for entries is April 24, 2009.

Writing for children is a popular yet challenging genre to write in, whether for the youngest of children or teenagers. “Writing for children at its best speaks to young people without pandering to them, and whether through entertaining, educating, or enlightening, instills a love of reading that lasts a lifetime,” says Deborah Windsor, the Union's Executive Director.

The Union initiated the Writing for Children competition to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of children’s literature. The Competition has grown in popularity since its inception, last year attracting 933 submissions from every region of Canada.

The Union is delighted to announce an esteemed group of jurors for the Competition. Norma Charles has written several award-winning books for children, including The Girl in the Backseat, which received the Moonbeam Bronze Medal in 2008. She also won the 2005 Chocolate Lily Award for All the Way to Mexico, and the Sheila Egoff Prize for Children's Literature in 2002 for The Accomplice. Former CBC journalist Kathy-Diane Leveille, a former finalist in the Writers’ Union’s Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers, published her first collection of short stories Roads Unravelling in 2003. Her debut novel, Let the Shadows Fall Behind You, will be released this spring. Noted children’s writer Eric Walters is a two-time Red Maple (for We All Fall Down and Rebound) and three-time Silver Birch (for S.T.A.R.S., Trapped In Ice, and Camp X) award winner who has received numerous other accolades for his writing, including a UNESCO Honours Selection for Caged Eagles.

To be eligible, submissions must be written by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who have not been published in book format in any genre and who do not have a contract with a book publisher. Any text, fiction or nonfiction, up to 1,500 words, in the English language, that is original and not previously published in any format, is eligible. A typed, double-spaced entry in a clear twelve-point font on white paper, not stapled or exceeding maximum word length, along with an entry fee of $15 (cheque or money order) per submission, should be sent to The Writers’ Union of Canada at: 90 Richmond Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1P1. The deadline for submissions is April 24, 2009. Submissions on computer disk or faxes will not be accepted. For complete rules and regulations, please go to www.writersunion.ca/cn_writeforchildren.asp.

The Writers' Union of Canada is our national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well being of all writers. For more information, visit www.writersunion.ca

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For additional information:
Nancy MacLeod, Competitions Coordinator
The Writers’ Union of Canada
416-703-8982 Ext. 226
competitions@writersunion.ca