Toronto Star and Toronto Public Library Launch 2021 Short Story Contest

TORONTO, Jan. 7, 2021 /CNW/ - Do you dream of becoming a published author?

If so, then the 2021 Toronto Star Short Story Contest offers you an excellent chance to show your skills as a writer and possibly see your story published in the largest newspaper and on one of the most-visited websites in Canada.

Starting Saturday, January 9, writers who live in Ontario can enter the contest, which is one of the largest in North America. All submissions must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, March 1, 2021.

The contest, now in its 43rd year, carries one of biggest prizes in Canada for a short story contest, with the first-place winner receiving $5,000, plus their choice of either the tuition fee for the two-semester creative writing graduate certificate correspondence program at the Humber School for Writers, which has an approximate value of $3,700, or a summer workshop in creative writing online program, which has an approximate value $850.

In addition, the second-place winner receives a cash prize of $2,000 and the third-place winner gets $1,000.

The contest is open to all Ontario residents 16 years of age or older. Entrants can write on any topic they want. Stories must be original, previously unpublished and no longer than 2,500 words. Entries are limited to one for each person.

This is the 12th consecutive year that the Toronto Public Library has been a partner with the Star in presenting the contest. The Humber School for Writers has been a partner for the past 11 years.

"The Library is very proud to support this wonderful prize again this year," says Toronto Public Library's City Librarian Vickery Bowles. "It's been a challenging year. As we look forward to 2021, it's vital to remember that storytelling is one of the best ways we can connect, learn and share our experiences with one another. We look forward to reading a wide range of submissions from talented writers all across Ontario."

A Humber School for Writers' panel will read all the entries and narrow the submissions to a short list of 25-30 stories. A panel of distinguished judges will select the winners from the short list.

Winners will be announced in April and their stories will be published in the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper and on thestar.com, one of the most visited websites in the country.

For full contest rules, please visit www.thestar.com/shortstory.

About the Toronto Star:

The Toronto Star, founded in 1892, is read in print and online (thestar.com) by 5.0 million readers every week. The Toronto Star is a part of the Torstar Group's Daily News Brands, which includes The Hamilton Spectator, Waterloo Region Record, St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Peterborough Examiner and the jointly-owned Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao as well as Toronto.com and The Kit, a fashion and beauty publication.

About Toronto Public Library:

Toronto Public Library is the world's busiest urban public library system, with more than 46 million annual visits to our branches and online. We empower Torontonians to thrive in the digital age and knowledge economy through easy access to technology, lifelong learning, and diverse cultural and leisure experiences, where, when and how our customers need us. To learn more, visit tpl.ca, email Answerline at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to email updates.

SOURCE Toronto Star

Bob Hepburn, Director, Community Relations and Communications, Toronto Star, [phone], [email protected], Toronto Public Library, [email protected]