Youth Writing Contest

High School Winners

1st Prize winner: “Somewhere Between the Shore and the Snow” by Reanna Pugoy, Ecole Alpha Secondary School, Burnaby

Shannon Ozirny: This writer is a master of descriptive language and metaphor. Each sentence stands on its own as a gorgeous, poetic quote, but the overall piece is also a wholly compelling story of an uprooted girl finding her way. I will never forget the way the writer describes immigration: they say immigration is a sacrifice, but they never say it’s a burial too.You bury accents. Traditions. Laughter. Even names. You grieve versions of yourself in secret.

2nd Prize winner: “Lotus Roots” by Stella-Rose Boucher, Alexander Academy, Vancouver

Shannon Ozirny: It is always exciting when a writer makes a familiar trope feel original and new, and that is exactly what this writer does in this first person account of adoption. Using the overarching metaphor of something beautiful (a lotus plant) blooming from something dark (mud), this is a story of figuring out one’s culture, identity and home that feels singular and true. 

Shannon Ozirny, judge of the 2025 High School Writing Contest, is the Head of Youth Services at the West Vancouver Memorial Library.

Elementary School Winners

1st Prize winner: “Canaries in Canada” by Hari Jeon, University Hill Elementary School, Vancouver

Jamie Fong: I read this entry fairly early in the judging process and it immediately left an impression with its poetic use of language and evocative descriptions of the narrator’s father and their complex feelings toward him. A line from their father’s favourite song “We can’t really help who we are.” is repeated like a mantra throughout the story as the narrator’s simmering resentment of their father transforms into empathetic understanding. It’s like a lyric from a song you’ve heard a hundred times, but its personal meaning changes as you get older and life’s experiences shift your understanding. The writer demonstrates insight and maturity beyond their years and I hope they persist in developing their craft– there’s something truly special here.

2nd Prize winner: “Platform Nine” by Ethan Wang, Coyote Creek Elementary, Surrey

Jamie Fong: This was a chillingly effective and haunting story of a man, Harold Kemp, waiting for a train that no longer exists. It slowly drew me in beginning with what seems like the innocent mystery of a local eccentric before gradually weaving in supernatural elements that made me question the true nature of this train station. When the train finally does arrive, the writer paints an eerily vivid scene, rich with spine-tingling sensory details that I could easily picture and hear in my mind. The revelation that Harold is not alone waiting for that train puts a deep pit of dread in your stomach as you realize the horror extends far beyond him and is now ensnaring other townspeople. It has the feel of a classic urban legend, the kind that is whispered in hushed tones around a campfire. Bravo!

Jamie Fong is the 2025 Elementary School Contest judge, and the Children’s Librarian at Vancouver Public Library.

1. The elementary school youth writing contest is open to all writers in grades 5-7 who are attending a school or being taught in a home-school environment in British Columbia.

2. The high school youth writing contest is open to all writers in grades 8-12 who are attending a school or being taught in a home-school environment in British Columbia.

3. Entries will be accepted for previously unpublished short stories and personal essays: 1,000 word limit (for elementary school student submissions) and 1,500 (for high-school student submissions).

4. Entries are judged blind. Please do not put your name on your story, in the file you have uploaded or in the file name.

5. Entries must be submitted in MS Word (DOC or DOCX)  or PDF formats. Please use standard margins, 12-point font and double spacing.

6. Prizes:

a. Elementary – First prize winner receives $100 and publication in our Books & Ideas Newsletter, plus social media shout-out; Second prize winner receives $50 and publication in our Books & Ideas Newsletter; both winners receive a certificate from Vancouver Writers Fest.

b. High school – First prize winner receives $200 and publication in our Books & Ideas Newsletter, plus social media shout-out; Second prize winner receives $100 and publication in our Books & Ideas Newsletter; both winners receive a certificate from Vancouver Writers Fest.

The 2025 writing contest is closed. Our next writing contest will be in Spring 2026.

The high-school youth writing contest is open to students in grades 8-12 and is judged by Shannon Ozirny. Shannon Ozirny is the Head of Youth Services at the West Vancouver Memorial Library. She has taught a children’s materials course as an adjunct at the UBC iSchool, reviewed young adult books for The Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire. She has served as a juror for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books and Odyssey audiobook awards and moderates kidlit events for the Vancouver Writers Fest and Kidsbooks.

The elementary school youth writing contest is open to students in grades 5-7 and is judged by Jamie Fong. Fong is a life-long supporter and patron of public libraries, starting his library career in high school as a student page at the Edmonton Public Library. Since 2013, he’s been a Children’s Librarian at Vancouver Public Library. He is a former committee member of the Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of BC. Fong also recently sat on the Canadian selection committee for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) third edition of The World Through Picture Books, a publication of favourite picture books recommended by librarians from around the world.