For immediate release: The JUDGES for the 2025 New Brunswick Writing Competition have been announced!

Moncton, NB, November 27, 2024 - The 2025 annual New Brunswick Writing Competition judges have been selected, and they will review submitted unpublished manuscripts from New Brunswick writers between January 1 and March 31, 2025. The program celebrates eight categories of unpublished writing in the genre of novel, short story, single poem, poetry manuscript, books for young people, and stories by young people, as well as unpublished short film script, and narrative non-fiction.

The judges for 2025 are as follows:

The David Adams Richards Prize for Fiction Manuscript – Sue Murtagh

(15,000 to 30,000 words - Individual stories in a collection can be previously published, but a novella or novel extract must be unpublished. First Prize $400, Second Prize $200, Third Prize 1 year WFNB membership)

Sue Murtagh (she/her) lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She won the Budge Wilson short fiction prize in 2016. Sue is a graduate of the Alistair MacLeod mentorship program (Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia) and the Humber School for Writers, where she worked with mentor Danila Botha. Her writing has appeared in The Nashwaak Review, Grain, carte blanche, the Humber Literary Review, The New Quarterly, yolkliterary.ca, and The Walrus. Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press published her debut short story collection, We're Not Rich, in October 2024. Award-winning writer Alexander MacLeod edited the linked collection.

The Douglas Kyle Memorial Prize for Short Fiction – Vernon Oickle

(Single story - 2,000 to 4,000 words. First Prize $250, Second Prize $150, Third Prize 1 year WFNB membership)

Vernon Oickle is considered the Dean of Nova Scotia authors writing about Maritime folklore, superstitions, and traditions. He is the author of 39 fiction and nonfiction books, including Red Sky at Night, Strange Nova Scotia, Bluenosers’ Book of Slang, Ghost Stories of Nova Scotia, Forerunners: Harbingers of Death in Nova Scotia and Grandma’s Home Remedies. Oickle is also the bestselling author of the eight volumes in The Crow murder mystery series. He resides in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

The Alfred G. Bailey Prize for Poetry Manuscript – Kathy Mac

(48 to 96 pages - Individual poems can be previously published, but the manuscript must be unpublished. First Prize $350, Second Prize $200, Third Prize one year WFNB membership)

Kathy Mac has authored three books of poetry (Roseway Publishing), two books on the craft of writing (Wording Around Press), and, as Kathleen McConnell, a book of essays (Wolsak and Wynn Publishers). She lives near Halifax (Kjipuktuk) in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq, Malliseet and Passamaquoddy peoples.

The WeyMedia Books for Young People Award – Jocelyn Shipley

(Short stories or poems written for young people - children’s, middle grade or YA - up to 4,500 words. First Prize $200, Second Prize $100, Third Prize one-year WFNB membership)

Born and raised in London, Ontario, Jocelyn Shipley graduated from York University and has studied writing at St. Lawrence College and the Humber School for Writers. She always wanted to be a writer, and won her first award at age nine, for poems entered in the local Hobby Fair.

Jocelyn has published several YA novels, her first with the former literary/feminist Sumach Press, and her most recent with Orca Books in their series for reluctant teen readers. She has appeared at the Eden Mills and Telling Tales literary festivals, and has received the US Gold Medal Moonbeam Award for YA fiction and the Surrey International Writers’ Conference Writing for Young People Award. Her work has been translated into many languages for Stabenfeldt's GIRL:IT book clubs, and her short stories published in several anthologies.

Jocelyn is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and the _Hlk23414599Children’s Writers and Illustrators of BC Society. She lives in Toronto and on Vancouver Island.

The Dawn Watson prize for Single Poem – Anita Lahey

(Single poem, up to 100 lines. First Prize $200, Second Prize $100, Third Prize one-year WFNB membership)

Anita Lahey’s latest poetry collection, While Supplies Last was published by Véhicule Press in 2023. She’s also co-author, with Pauline Conley, of the 2023 graphic novel-in-verse Fire Monster (Palimpsest Press). Her 2020 memoir, The Last Goldfish: a True Tale of Friendship (Biblioasis), was an Ottawa Book Award finalist. A longtime magazine journalist and occasional ghost writer, Anita also serves as series editor for the Best Canadian Poetry anthology. She is grateful to live with her family in Ottawa on unceded Algonquin, Anishinabek territory.

The Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers – Jacqueline Halsey

(Short story - 400 words, or poem - up to 100 lines, written by teens age 13 to 18. First Prize $100, Second Prize $50, Third Prize one-year WFNB membership)

Originally from the UK, Jacqueline Halsey has lived in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for over thirty years. She has written eight highly acclaimed books - a mixture of fun picture books and junior historical fiction. Her middle-grade historical novel Piper was short listed for the 2019, TD Geoffrey Bilson award for Children’s Historical fiction. For over a decade she has taken part in the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia’s “Writer’s in the School program.” Jacqueline has an art college background, a degree in English Literature and before becoming a full-time writer, worked for many years in the Youth Services department of the Alderney Gate Library in Dartmouth. Her love of hiking, beachcombing, history, and taking care of the environment led her to join the “Friends of McNabs Island Society.” She now sits on the Board, takes part in the massive annual beach clean-up and leads groups of visitors on interpretive hikes around the beautiful, storied island in Halifax harbour.

The Gwen L. Martin Memorial Prize for Nonfiction – Jon Tattrie

(Narrative nonfiction prose - 1,500 to 3,000 words. First Prize $200, Second Prize $100, Third Prize 1 year WFNB membership)

Jon Tattrie is the author of nine books, including The Hermit of Africville, Peace by Chocolate and the forthcoming I leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders. He holds a master’s degree in creative nonfiction from the University of King’s College (2020). He lives in Nova Scotia, where he operates the book-birthing business Write Now! with Jon Tattrie.

The JL Screenwriting Award – Kehinde Olorunyomi

(Short Film Scripts (up to 15 minutes in length), Unproduced or produced accepted. Must have been written within the last two years. First Prize $500, Second prize, $150, Third Prize, one-year WFNB membership.)

Kehinde Olorunyomi is a seasoned filmmaker, screenwriter, and actress with over 20 screenplays to her credit, including Real Lagos Fake Life and The Novelist, both featured on Netflix. She holds a diploma in Screenwriting from the London Academy of Radio, Film, and TV, a certificate in Character Make-up from Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles, and a Business Management diploma from Oulton College in Canada.

Her acting career began in 2001 with the TV series Everyday People, and she gained further recognition for her roles in Tinsel and Domino. As a screenwriter, she has earned multiple awards, including Best Original Screenplay in Toronto and Ghana.

Since moving to Canada, Kehinde has expanded her creative pursuits to include still modelling and served as the head jury member at the Silver Wave Film Festival in New Brunswick. Passionate about storytelling, she is committed to breaking into the global film industry, amplifying African narratives, and creating stories that resonate with audiences worldwide.

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