The Okanagan Young Writers Awards are almost over in 2022

The best of Okanagan literature’s future still has days to submit for the Okanagan Young Writers Awards.

The award (OYWA) was established to promote excellent writing in high school-to-college students and is now open to all young people between the ages of 14 and 19.

“Our beautiful Okanagan Valley has long inspired talented creators in the region,” said OYWA Chairman Jadon Dick. “We wanted to further develop this legacy with a literary competition aimed at introducing the next generation of Okanagan writers.”

Awards include $200 in each of two major categories: fiction, including a short story or one-act play, and poetry by three poetry groups submitted by November 30th.

Selected entries will be featured in the Best of Okanagan Young Writers Awards Collection and published in print and online by Okanagan Publishers.

Kelowna’s Trophy Den will provide medallions for the top three submissions in each category, and the Okanagan Regional Libray will host a story/poetry reading on January 15 at the newly renovated ORL Mission Branch.

“When we put this initiative together, we wanted to put people first. Our focus is on nurturing writers and their joy and love in this art form,” said Dick. “We are committed to providing praise and feedback for each submission, regardless of where it is submitted.”

OYWA’s judging panel includes some of the brightest minds in the region, including professors from Okanagan College such as Kelly Gilbert, Jeremy Boorn and Jeremy Runaway. Jadon Dick of the Okanagan Publishing House and local author Robert Humphries rounded out the jury with the recent release of the book of poetry Fractured Thoughts.

It is a deliberate action by the OYWA Committee to improve accessibility to the contest and there is no cost for submission.

Once submitted, entries will be reviewed and finalists will be announced on December 9th. The winner will be announced on his December 16th.

For more information and how to participate, please visit:

To report typos, please email editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

Don’t miss a single story and have it delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for the Penticton Western News newsletter today.

---

@Penticton News
newstips@pentictonwesternnews.com
Like and follow us on Facebook twitter.

Okanagan