The 2024 Okanagan Young Writers’ Awards
Showcasing the Next Generation of Okanagan Writers
The beautiful Okanagan Valley has long inspired talented creatives from around the region. The Okanagan Young Writers’ Awards were founded to promote excellence in writing at the high school and early college level. Through this competition we hope to recognize outstanding writing achievement by the region’s youth aged 14-19! Submissions are accepted from October 10th until November 24th. Finalists will be announced January 17th and winners on January 31st! A story / poetry reading and signing will be facilitated by Okanagan Publishing House in late February.
Submissions Are Now OPEN for the 2024 Awards!
Contest Information
Judging Panel
A huge thanks goes out to our Okanagan Young Writers’ Awards judges for graciously volunteering their time and expertise! The judges that make up the 2024 Finalists Panel are:
Kerry Gilbert lives in the Okanagan, where she teaches Creative Writing at Okanagan College. Her first book, (kerplnk): a verse novel of development, was published in 2005 with Kalamalka Press. Her second book of poetry, Tight Wire, was published in 2016 with Mother Tongue Publishing. Little Red is Gilbert’s newest poetry collection with Mother Tongue, released in 2019. Gilbert has won the Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry Award for Best Suite by an Emerging Writer and has been shortlisted for ReLit, for the Ralph Gustafson Prize for the Best Poem, for the Pacific Spirit Poetry Contest and for the Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry for Best Suite by an Established Writer.
Links: @KerryAGilbert | KerryGilbert.ca
Jeremy Beaulne teaches composition, literature, film, and acting at Okanagan College. He is also the artistic director of the Red Dot Players, Okanagan College’s community theatre company. Jeremy has written several plays, including AKA Fangirl, Special Guest, Emmy & Jess & Leo Watch TV, Wonder of the Age, and The Beast of Blackthorn Manor. He has also written and directed sketches for the Shaw TV show Actors Saying Words.To learn more about Jeremy’s theatre work, visit www.reddotoplayers.com.
Jeremy Lanaway is a writer, editor, and educator living in Vernon, BC with their wife and two daughters. He completed an MFA in Creative Writing at UBC in 1999, specializing in long and short fiction. Jeremy teaches first- and second-year English courses as a tenured professor at Okanagan College, and works as a freelance editor / content writer for Pearson Education Asia (Hong Kong), E2 Language, and Education First (EF). He is also the hockey writer for The American magazine, based in London, UK.
Jadon Dick, MA, MA, is proud to be a part of the 2023 Finalists Panel. Since 2014 they have been Editor-in-Chief at Okanagan Publishing House, a local independent publishing company. In this work they support emerging creatives, both throughout the Okanagan region and around the world. In their private time Jadon can be found outdoors, exploring the valley with his wife and young son, or reading a book inside, coffee in hand and dog by their side.
Robert Humphries is a student of human history and the natural world. He published his first collection of poetry last year, entitled Fractured Thoughts, which gives voice to the concerns, joys, and fears that are inside everyone. Robert uses words as a way to reflect on his own mental landscapes. Prose is a way for them to process both their imagination and the existential worries of our time. Robert lives in Kelowna with his partner and daughter. His first children’s book, Scraps of Nona, is due for release Fall 2023, and deals with love, loss, and dementia.
Links: Fractured Thoughts (Amazon); Fractured Thoughts (Okanagan Publishing House Store)
Sponsorship
We would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous contributions to the Okanagan Young Writers’ Awards as well as art and culture throughout the valley:
VERNON MORNING STAR
The Vernon Morning Star is a newspaper that has been operating out of Vernon, BC for over thirty years. A part of the Black Press Media, they form an integral part of the Okanagan community, bringing local news and interest to your mailbox or inbox.
OKANAGAN PUBLISHING HOUSE
Okanagan Publishing House is an independent publishing company based out of Kelowna, BC. They have supported arts and culture in the Okanagan region since 2014 and are the founding sponsor of the OYWAs.
“As a publishing house we draw our inspiration from the fine writers of this region. Our hope is that this competition engages the next generation of Okanagan creatives and encourages them to share their story with the world.”
THE TROPHY DEN
The Trophy Den is the Okanagan’s oldest awards and promotional products shop, and is located centrally in Kelowna, BC. They will be providing medallions for the 2023 OYWA winners.
“The Trophy Den is a locally owned and operated business that offers traditional and laser engraving services. We stock a large variety of awards, trophies, customizable drinkware, and other unique giftware. We pride ourselves on providing exemplary customer service that exceeds expectations.“
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WINNERS ANNOUNCED for the 2023 Awards!
Poetry Category:
- 1ST PLACE – Savannah Corcoran, Vernon Secondary School
- 2ND PLACE – Ray Davie, Kelowna Secondary School
- 3RD PLACE – Lucy Witteman, W.L. Seaton Secondary School
- Ruby Leavitt, J.L. Crowe Secondary School
- Noemie Schirrer, Okanagan Mission Secondary
- Courtney Westfall, Kelowna Secondary School
- Alice Melikhanov, Heritage Christian Online School
Short Story Category:
- 1ST PLACE – Selynn Choo, Vernon Secondary School
- 2ND PLACE – Anna Beyer, W.L. Seaton Secondary
- 3RD PLACE – Rory Macpherson, George Elliot Secondary
- Ray Davie, Kelowna Secondary School
- Alice Melikhanov, Heritage Christian Online School
- Betty Rempel, Charles Bloom Secondary
- Kailey Reinhard, JL Crowe Secondary School
- Jaidyn Danyluk, Jackson Secondary School