The Writers' Union of Canada is pleased to launch its 16th annual Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers, which invites writers to submit a piece of fiction or nonfiction of up to 2,500 words in the English language that has not previously been published in any format. A $2,500 prize will be awarded to an unpublished Canadian writer, and the entries of the winner and finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines for consideration. The deadline for entries is November 3, 2008.

The Union initiated the Short Prose Competition in 1993 in honour of its twentieth anniversary. The Competition aims to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of short prose. “Every year, the Union’s Short Prose Competition attracts many emerging writers of a high calibre, which demonstrates the wealth of talent in Canada,” notes Deborah Windsor, the Union's Executive Director. Entry is open to all writers who have not had a book published by a commercial or university press, in order to provide opportunity and exposure to developing writers.

The Union is proud to announce an esteemed group of jurors for the 2008 Short Prose Competition. Award-winning novelist Joan Barfoot's works include the Scotiabank Giller nominated Luck, Critical Injuries, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2003, and current bestseller Exit Lines. UBC instructor and editor of New Start Books Carellin Brooks recently published Wreck Beach, a history of the well-known Vancouver beach. Her other works include Every Inch a Woman: Phallic Possession, Femininity, and the Text and Bad Jobs: My Last Shift at Albert Wing's Pagoda and Other Ugly Tales of the Workplace. Fiction writer and poet David Helwig, recipient of the 2004 Atlantic Poetry Award for The Year One, recently published the novellas Coming Through and Smuggling Donkeys. In 2006, he published his memoir, The Names of Things.

To be eligible, submissions must be written by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who have not had a book published by a commercial or university press in any genre and who do not have a contract with a book publisher. Any text, fiction or nonfiction, up to 2,500 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 $25 (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 November 3, 2008. Submissions on computer disk or faxes will not be accepted. For complete rules and regulations, please go to www.writersunion.ca/cn_shortprose.asp.

The Writers' Union of Canada is our country's 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, please 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