Short story contest now on

Local and emerging writers are encouraged to enter the annual Okanagan Short Story Contest.

The Short Story Contest was started in 1997 by UBC Okanagan Creative Writing Instructor Nancy Holmes along with local author John Lent. And now 27 years later, it's still going strong.

“The annual short story contest has a long tradition of introducing emerging writers to the Okanagan community,” says UBCO creative writing lecturer and UBCO alumnus Umar Turaki.

Winners in previous years have gone on to publish with Penguin Random House, Arsenal Pulp Press and NeWest Press, as well as numerous national and international magazines and journals.

“The history of the Okanagan Short Story Contest is long and its influence is significant. What a privilege to play a small part in its unfolding story as the annual contest continues to discover and celebrate local voices across BC’s interior,” says Turaki.

Emerging writers are invited to submit their work for the chance to win prizes, including $1,000 for the winner, while second and third prizes are $400 and $200 respectively. This is the sixth year in a row the contest has been open to high school students and the top prize for that category is $200.

Entries for the Okanagan Short Story Contest are open to fiction writers in the Southern Interior of British Columbia — east of Hope, west of the Alberta border, north of the border to the United States and south of Williams Lake.

All original entries must be between 1,000 and 4,000 words and writers are welcome to submit as many entries as they choose. There is a $20 entry fee for each story, but no charge for students in the high school category. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on February 7, 2025.

All proceeds from the competition go towards Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies creative writing scholarships at UBC Okanagan and towards supporting Indspire – an Indigenous organization that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

Winners of the short story contest will be announced in March.