Power of the Pen Creative Writing Contest

Power of the Pen is an annual writing contest offered in partnership with The Hamilton Spectator. Teens (ages 12 to 18) are invited to submit original poetry and short stories. All participants will be entered to win and prizes will be awarded to the first and second place entries for each age group.

Categories:

Participants can enter both the English and French categories:

• English -  Please submit one poem and/or short story per person to our English category. Each entry will be submitted in the age group that you fall in (12 poetry, 12 short story, 13 poetry, etc.)
• French - Please submit one poem and/or nouvelle to our French Category. The number of categories will depend on the number of entries received.

Prizes:

Entries for each category will be judged by one of our distinguished professional writers and reviewers. Entries will be evaluated on the basis of originality, style and general presentation as well as spelling and grammar. A first and second prize winner will be chosen in each age category - 12 through 18 years of age.

French entries will be judged based on age in two categories, 12-14 years and 15-18 years of age for both poetry and short story. A first and second prize will also be offered for each category.

A first and second prize winner will be chosen in each age category – 12 through 18 years of age.  First prize winners in each age category will receive a cash prize of $100 while second prize winners in each age category will receive $25. Award winners will receive a copy of the Power of the Pen publication.

Each entry will also qualify for the Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art's prestigious Maitland Banting Silver Quill Award and Young Poet Award. The winner in each category will receive a cash prize of $250.

*French entries will not be included in the HAALSA prize.

Award-winning entries will be published on the Hamilton Public Library's website. First prize winners in each age category will receive a cash prize of $100 while the second prize winners in each age category will receive $25. All of the award winners will receive a copy of the Power of the Pen publication.

Each participant will be entered into a draw for the chance to win an iPad mini.

How to Enter:

Call for submissions begins Monday, March 25, 2019.

This year's deadline for submissions is Monday, September 30, 2019. 

Winners will be notified in December 2019 and will be asked to provide an electronic copy of their winning submission for publication and posting.

The 25th Anniversary Awards Reception is being held Friday January 24, 2020 from 6-9pm at the Central Library.

For more information please call 905-546-3200 x1045.

Note to Teachers:

If you are submitting a short story or poem on behalf of a student, please ensure that each work is accompanied by a completed official entry form.