The 2023 First Page student writing challenge is open for submissions! | CBC Books

The 2023 First Page student writing challenge is open for submissions!

The challenge is open for submissions from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Finalists from each category will be selected by a team of middle grade and YA writers from across Canada. Finalists will be notified by email in the spring of 2023. The exact timing will depend on the number of submissions received.

Both winners will receive a one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which sends fresh boxes of books to young readers across Canada on a monthly basis. In addition, each winners’ school libraries will receive 50 free YA books.

You can read the complete rules and regulations here.

How will the world leaders of today impact the world of tomorrow? Who will be the biggest name in pop culture in the future? How will climate change impact the protagonist’s life?

The book could be from any literary genre, from mystery or thriller to literary fiction, from adventure or romance to satire or science fiction.

Bestselling YA author Courtney Summers is judging this year’s competition. She is the author of several novels for young adults, including Cracked Up to Be, All the Rage and Sadie.

Past judges include Sarah Raughley, author of the YA Effigies series, and Governor General’s Literary Award-winning author David A. Robertson. 

Last year’s winners were Joshua Zhuang for his story Fugees and Victor Li for his story Still Water.

Find more details about the 2023 competition below.

WHAT YOU CAN WRITE

Your entry can be 300-400 words in length. Your entry also needs a title, but the title is not included in the word limit. Your entry can be written in any genre.

WHO CAN ENTER

This contest is open to all Canadian residents who are full-time students enrolled in Grades 7 to 12. Entries will be judged in two age categories: Grades 7 to 9 and Grades 10 to 12.

PRIZES

The finalists will have their stories published on CBC Books and the winner of each category will receive a one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which delivers monthly boxes of books and literary-related goodies. The school library of each winner will also receive a donation of 50 books.

HOW TO SUBMIT

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

CLICK HERE FOR THE CONTEST RULES & REGULATIONS

TEACHER GUIDES: Visit Curio.ca for discussion questions and writing tips from Canadian writers, like Cory Doctorow, Linwood Barclay, Fonda Lee, Cherie Dimaline, Erin Bow, Katherena Vermette and M.G. Vassanji.

HAVE QUESTIONS? Email us at [email protected].

WANT MORE STUDENT WRITING CHALLENGES? Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page to find out about our creative writing challenges.