UPDATE - EXTENDED DEADLINE! Call for Submissions: What's Your Story? Short Prose and Poetry Competition for Emerging Writers

UPDATE!

**The deadline for the 2nd What's Your Story? Short Prose and Poetry Competition for Emerging Writers has been extended to Monday, May 8, 2017!**

Do you live in Toronto? Are you an emerging writer who is passionate about your community? Then don't miss the Ontario Book Publishers Organization's 2nd annual What's Your Story? Short Prose and Poetry Competition for Emerging Writers. 

The OBPO is pleased to announce that submissions are now being accepted until the extended deadline of May 8, 2017 (previously May 1) for the What’s Your Story? competition. 

The writing contest is part of What’s Your Story?, a series of events that celebrates the literary communities in four different community hubs: Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, and East Toronto.

In the fall of 2017, literary events will be held in each of these neighbourhoods featuring one winning emerging author and their works (along with three established writers). There will be a total of four winning emerging authors who have written works inspired by one of the four community hubs. 

Guidelines:

• Short prose submissions must be between 1,300 and 1,500 words
• Poetry submissions must be a maximum of two pages
• All entries must be received by May 1, 2017

Prize:

• A $1,000 prize for each winning author
• Publication on Open Book and in an anthology of winning texts
• Inclusion as a featured author in the What's Your Story? literary events in Fall 2017

Eligibility - All entrants must be:

• Over 16 years old
• Residents of Toronto
• Not be published in book form 
• Available and willing to participate in WYS events in Fall 2017
• Please note that What’s Your Story 2016 winning authors are not eligible

How to Enter:

• Submissions will be accepted by email only. Please put What’s Your Story? Emerging Writers Competition in the subject line
• Short prose submissions must be between 1,300 and 1,500 words
• Poetry submissions must be a maximum of two pages
• Entries should be typed, double-spaced, in a clear twelve-point font on a 8.5" x 11" sized document
• Entries must be saved as a Word document with your last name and neighbourhood in the file name. Please put the neighbourhood you are writing about in the upper left hand corner of the first page of your entry as well. (The boundaries of the neighbourhoods are below.)
• Do not include your name on your writing sample. This is a blind competition and authors must not identify themselves in their entry.
• Please provide a separate cover page stating your name and a 50-word bio and save it with your first and last name in the file name.
• Entries must be received electronically by May 1, 2017 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time to jury@obpo.ca
• Winning entries will be notified by email in early July 2017

Neighbourhood Boundaries:

Etobicoke: Steeles Ave W. south to Lake Ontario and Mill Road east to the Humber River 

North York: Steeles Ave. to Eglinton Ave and Victoria Park Ave to Jane St/Hwy 400

Scarborough: Steeles Ave to Lake Ontario and Victoria Park Ave to the Scarborough-Pickering Townline.

East Toronto: O’Connor Drive to Lake Ontario, and the DVP to Victoria Park Avenue

Be sure to check out last year's winners! You can read the winning texts for each neighbourhood: Etobicoke, North York, East York, and Scarborough, right here on Open Book!