This article was written by Chloe Gust
The University of Lethbridge is gearing up to grant the first-ever Bridge Prize National Short Story Award to a Canadian writer. Awarded through the Department of Liberal Education, this award (dubbed “the Giller Prize for Students” by alum Terry Whitehead) aims to bridge post-secondary student authors writing in Canada today into the greater world of Canadian literature.
The award is given to outstanding fiction short stories written by current post-secondary students. You read that right, you do NOT need to be in a Fine Arts or Creative Writing program – this award is for anyone attending a post-secondary institution in Canada. Acceptable entries may be written individually or collaboratively – but keep in mind, there will be only one entry per student, even in a group submission. Works have a 7,500 word limit, must be written in English, and should be formatted with 12-point font, Times New Roman, one-inch margins.
Students have until Monday, January 20th, 2020 to submit their writing.
Sponsored by Whitehead, this award is the richest student writing prize in the country. The first place submission will receive $7,500, with three runners up winning $1,000 each. Munro’s Books of Victoria will also provide a $200 gift card to each of the finalists.
If you are on the fence about submitting your writing it is important to note that this is a bi-annual contest and it will not be awarded again until 2022. However, Whitehead has pledged to sponsor this event for 10 years, so professional students, super-seniors, and victory lap kids rejoice.
The panel of jurors is comprised of a world-class collection of authors, editors, and industry professionals, including Thomas King, Shelley Ambrose, Charles Demers, Leslie Hurtig, and Aritha van Herk. The work this panel has done has helped shape the literary climate in Canada, and their experience is sure to find the best in Canada’s up-and-coming writers.
For more details and to submit your story head to uleth.ca/liberal-education/bridge-prize-national-short-story-award. You can also find the Bridge Prize on Twitter @BridgePrize.
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