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TORONTO, Jan. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — If you’ve been dreaming of becoming a published author, now might be your chance. The Toronto Star Short Story Contest is one of the largest and longest-running short story contests in North America, and the call for entries for the 2025 competition begins tomorrow.
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It’s an ideal starting point for aspiring writers. Winning works are published each year in the Toronto Star and beyond thestar.comWhich gives passionate storytellers an excellent opportunity to gain national attention.
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The contest, now in its 47th year, also holds one of the largest prize pools in Canada for a short story competition, with the first place winner receiving $5,000. In addition to having their story seen in the largest newspaper and on one of Canada’s most visited websites, the winner will also be able to study with some of the best creative writing teachers in the country.
A portion of the grand prize includes tuition for one of two programs at the Humber School of Writers, either the Graduate Program in Creative Writing, which has an approximate retail value of $3,895, or the Summer Workshop in Creative Writing, which has an approximate retail value of $1,665.
The second place winner will receive a cash prize of $2,000, and the third place winner will receive $1,000. The three winners will be selected by a distinguished jury.
The competition begins on Saturday, January 4, and all entries must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. Entrants can write about any topic they like and are limited to one entry per person. Stories must be original, previously unpublished and no longer than 2,500 words. Contest is open to Ontarians 16 years of age or older.
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This is the 17th consecutive year that the Toronto Public Library has partnered with The Star in presenting the contest. The Humber School of Writers has been a partner for the past 15 years.
“Everyone has a story to share, and the Toronto Star Short Story Contest is a great opportunity to showcase your creativity,” says Vickery Bowles, city librarian at the Toronto Public Library. “We are proud to once again support this initiative in highlighting new voices and unique perspectives.”
All entries are read and shortlisted by a panel from the Humber School of Writers. After narrowing down the entries to 20-25 stories, the winner is selected by a panel of distinguished judges.
This year’s judges include Vickery Bowles; Deborah Dundas, opinions editor and writer for the Toronto Star; Ali Hassan, director of CBC Radio’s annual Canada Reads competition; Richard Ouzounian, director and writer; and Kai Ching Tom, author, performer, cultural worker and speaker.
For full contest rules, please visit www.thestar.com/shortstory
About the Toronto Star:
The Toronto Star is Canada’s largest urban daily newspaper, with more than 7.7 million readers in print and online in thestar.com. Founded in 1892, the Toronto Star has won more than 140 national newspaper awards and was recently awarded the Michener Prize, Canada’s most prestigious newspaper award. The Star is known for its investigative reporting, insightful opinion writing and comprehensive coverage of local, national and international news. We have also been making a difference in the lives of children for over 100 years by Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund and Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund.
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About the Toronto Public Library:
The Toronto Public Library is the world’s busiest urban public library system, with more than 46 million annual visits to our branches and online. We enable Torontonians to thrive in the digital age and knowledge economy through easy access to technology, lifelong learning and diverse cultural and entertainment experiences, where, when and how our customers need us. To learn more, visit tpl.caemail reply to Answerline@tpl.ca Or follow us on twitter, Facebook and Instagram And subscribe to Email updates.
For more information, please contact:
Toronto Star
April Andruso
Senior Manager, Communications
aandreosso@thestar.ca
Toronto Public Library
media@tpl.ca
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