If you're a Grade 8 to 12 student in B.C. and fancy yourself the next Ernest Hemingway--or the next Stephen King, for that matter--here's a good little way to test your mettle.

The Vancouver Writers' Festival is holding a youth writing contest, with entries to be judged by Shannon Ozirny, head of youth services at the West Vancouver Memorial Library.

The winners will be published in the VWF's online newsletter, Books and Ideas, which has a readership of over 17,000.  

Here's the contest rules:

     1. The contest is open to all writers in Grades 8 to 12 who are attending a school or being taught in a home-school environment in B.C.

     2. Entries will be accepted for previously unpublished short stories and personal essays: 1,500-word limit.

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

     4. Entries must be submitted in MS Word or PDF formats. Please use standard margins, 12-point font, and double spacing.

     5. The deadline for submissions is this Monday (May 31, 2021).

To submit your entry click here, and for more info on the Vancouver Writers Festival youth programs sign up here.