Little Bird Writing Contest for emerging short fiction writers

The Little Bird Writing Contest, a competition for emerging short fiction writers, is now open!

First prize is $1,000 (Canadian dollars) and there are runner up prizes, a publication opportunity and more.

Now in its seventh year, the Little Bird Writing Contest is hosted by The Story is a State of Mind creative writing school. The contest is accepting submissions of short fiction (up to 2,500 words) based on one of the school’s daily prompts. Which prompt you use is up to you!

The judge of this year’s competition is the multi-award winning Esi Edugyan.

From the press release:

Edugyan’s second novel, Half Blood Blues, won the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize for Fiction, as well as the Ethel Wilson Award, the US’s Hurston-Wright Legacy Award, and the Anisfield-Wolf Prize for Fiction. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

So what’s it all for? Why is this school running this competition?

The founder of the school, Sarah Selecky says:

“In times of uncertainty, creativity is dramatically healing. Writing is important. It’s active; our stories matter. How can I say this? If you have a story to write, you need to write it now. Frankly, just shopping for vegetables feels surreal in the face of what’s happening in our world right now. I believe in the power of honest and clear writing. Never underestimate the transformative power of your imagination. I want you to drop your armour, face your fears, and get to the heart of your story. This is something that we get to do as writers — we access thoughts, emotions and experiences through art. Stories say things that can’t be said otherwise. In this way, our imagination affects cultural evolution.”

Entries are open between 4 April – 4 May 2017. There is a $25 (Canadian dollars) entry fee

For more information and how to enter, visit The Story is a State of Mind website.