Manitoba Writers' Guild Contest for Canadian Writers

E-mail, text messaging, cell phones, chatrooms; whether across the country or merely on the other side of town, in the 21st century it is easier than ever for people to connect with one another. While a truly good friend is still hard to find, it is definitely easier than it had been.

But is the notion of friendship as stable as it had been? Is it a more or less lonely world than it was? What does friendship mean to you in this new millennium? The Manitoba Writers' Guild is looking for that answer with a new writing contest for Canadian writers based on the theme of friendship. The challenge is to tell us what it means to you to be a friend, on paper. The entries will be judged by a jury of professional writers, including 2005 Giller Prize winner David Bergen (fiction) and veteran reporter and writer Heather Robertson (non-fiction) and George Elliott Clarke (poetry).

There is $5000 available in prizes for the Friends writing contest, in three categories: non-fiction, fiction and poetry. The first prize is $1000, the second prize is $500 and the third prize is $250, for each category.

You can enter the Friends writing contest, pay the fee and download the submission form all at www.mbwriter.mb.ca. All the details are available on the website. The deadline is December 31, 2006. The entry fee is $15.00.

There is a twin contest on the topic of Friends, as well. This one is for teens. Check out http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/contest/friends.htm for more information.