One Week Left to Submit to Second Story Press’ Indigenous Writing Contest
Image courtesy of Second Story Press
Submissions for the third annual Second Story Press Indigenous writing contest are open for one more week. So if you’re an Indigenous writer with an unpublished manuscript written for young readers, this is a great opportunity for your work to be brought into the world. The winner will be offered a publishing contract with Second Story Press.
“With our third annual Indigenous Writing Contest, Second Story Press is seeking out contemporary writing for young readers that reflects the modern experience of Canadian Indigenous — First Nations, Métis, and Inuit — people.”
Past winners include Stolen Words by Melanie Florence, a picture book about a young girl who tries to help her grandfather learn to speak Cree, a language that he forgot because of his trauma from residential school. The Mask That Sang, a short novel by Susan Currie, is another beautiful story that’s won the contest and is about a girl who finds out about her Cayuga heritage after discovering an elaborately painted wooden mask with long, black hair that sings to her.
The contest is particularly interested in both fiction and non-fiction stories about Indigenous peoples in urban settings. The target audience for these stories must be between ages 5–18.
“Through this contest, we have been introduced to some incredible stories, and can’t wait to hear yours!”
The deadline is April 16, 2021 and the winner will be being announced on June 24. Indigenous writers living in Canada who are 18 or older are eligible to enter. Unfortunately, due to regulations, writers from Québec are not eligible. Picture book submissions do not require illustrations, and all submissions must be in English or include a translation.
At this moment, they are not looking for rhyming stories or stories with anthropomorphized animals. The rules also state that manuscripts must not be under consideration by any other publisher.
If you meet the eligibility criteria and have a relevant manuscript, click here to learn how you can submit your work.
Freya Abbas
studies linguistics and literature at the University of Toronto and is passionate about promoting the arts in her community. She is the lead writer of INKspire, which is an organization that facilitates free poetry workshops for youth. She likes experimenting with different kinds of writing, from plays to essays. Her favourite books to read are historical fiction novels.