The Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing (BCPW) program at Humber Polytechnic recognized five high school students in its annual High School Flash Fiction Contest, with two of this year's winners set to begin their studies at Humber this fall.
The annual contest invites Ontario students in Grades 9 to 12 to submit an original flash fiction story of 250 words or less.
This year's competition recognized outstanding young writers from across Ontario. Nadine Telesford of Martingrove Collegiate Institute placed first for "Sardine Grey." Sarah-Marie Scale of Arthur Voaden Secondary School placed second for "Green Lanyard," Neve Elliott of Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School placed third for "The Dedication Page," Hana Marie Gamelin of St. Joseph's Catholic Secondary School placed fourth for "Nothing" and Juliana Evangelista of St. Joseph Secondary School placed fifth for "The Sound of Silence."
Hosted by Humber's BCPW program, the contest encourages aspiring writers to develop their storytelling skills. This year's contest was judged by writers David Brock, Kathy Friedman and Meaghan Strimas, who are all full-time faculty members in Humber's BCPW program.
Among this year's winners, Scale and Evangelista will begin the Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing program at Humber this fall.
Scale said she was thrilled to learn her story had been recognized.
"I'm always looking to get feedback and improve my writing, so it feels like a huge accomplishment to know that the judges considered my story worthy of a spot in the top five," she said.
Scale said her love of writing began at a young age after growing up surrounded by books and storytelling.
"The more I wrote, the more I realized I couldn't see myself doing any other career," she said. "I'm really looking forward to trading manuscript feedback with peers and professors. The Humber writing community seems super positive and close-knit, and I can't wait to start making connections and learning from everyone."
Evangelista said being recognized in the contest gave her confidence in her writing.
"I submitted my short story while in a place of doubt. Receiving the news that my work was being recognized really gave me a sign that I'm on the right path," she said.
Evangelista said storytelling has always been at the heart of her creative interests.
"I wanted to be a dancer, then an actress, a director and now a writer. There's one thing they all have in common: storytelling," she said. "At Humber, I'm most looking forward to not only growing my skills as an author but also growing as a person through experiences."
The top five winners received cash prizes of $750 for first place, $500 for second, $350 for third, $250 for fourth and $150 for fifth. Their winning stories are published in a special online supplement of Arrival, the BCPW program's literary magazine.
The judges also recognized five honourable mentions: Harsimran Dadwal's "Your Mother, My Heart"; Elisabetta Mykytyuk's "Before the Music Ends"; Martin Ryan Gallardo's "Hevel"; Nevaeh Taylor's "Reflections"; and Marley Welch's "The House that Learned to Breathe".
Humber's BCPW program combines creative and professional writing with hands-on learning. Students prepare for careers in publishing, communications, media and related industries through workshops, industry experiences and publishing opportunities.
Read the winning stories and learn more about the contest on the Arrival website.
