• Entry is now free!
  • Email entries to info@wfnb.ca
  • Use the subject: "Sheree Fitch Prize"
• Short story or poem written by teens age 13 to 18
• Short story–up to 4,000 words; or poem–up to 100 lines
• Only two submissions per person
• First Prize $100, Second Prize $50, Third Prize 1 year WFNB membership

2024 Judge: Jay McGrath

Jay McGrath is an emerging author, originally from Branch, NL and currently resides in Mount Pearl, NL. Born into a community of storytellers, Jay has been putting pen to paper his whole life and enjoys writing speculative fiction.

He holds an Arts Degree with a double major in English and History, as well as, a Business Degree from Memorial University. He also completed his Master of Arts in History. His debut novel, We’d Rather Fight Than Eat is available through Flanker Press.

His second novel is due out in Fall 2024. He is one of the hosts of the Writer’s NL podcast Inkpod. You can follow his Author Page on Facebook

2024 WINNERS

First Place, Sunken Ship of Theseus Author: Yutong (Teresa) Wu, Moncton

Bio: I am a grade 11 student at Bernice MacNaughton High School in Moncton, New Brunswick. As a non-native English speaker, I am proud to take the chance to showcase how I made this language my own.

Judge's Comments: I cannot say enough about this piece. The opening line draws you in (and closes by return too, which is always a great touch). It is well written (“The shame of running away from her mother burned within like embers in a dying fire.”) and thought provoking (“If you are going to transform my mind, will I still be me?”) from there. Everything in this short story counts. Every sentence. Even the names count. The title counts. As an added treat, one of the characters, a doctor, speaks in rhyme until he doesn’t, and that counts. This is a great piece of work.

Second Place, Nameless, Author: Allison O’Reilly, Quispamsis

Bio: Allison O’Reilly is a grade 9 student in the Kennebecasis Valley. She enjoys writing poetry and children’s literature as well as playing the piano. Her six-year-old brother inspires many of the ideas in her writing. She hopes to enter a career in education.

Judge's Comments: Who does a name belong to? Are you yourself? These are some of the questions posed in here. The creativity of this concept really impressed me. It challenged my thinking on a topic I had never considered challenging before and that’s what good writing can/should do. This is a talented writer. This poem is short (coming in at under 300 words), it flows well, and has a great ending. Just beautiful

Third Place: Where I’m From, Author: Madeline Bowie, Fredericton

Bio: This is Madeline’s first submission ever, and she has just turned fourteen.

Judge's Comments: By the end when this poet makes me think about their great grandparents, one who was forced to serve food to German soldiers in WWII and the other from the Miramichi who fixed Canadian planes to defeat the Nazis, I immediately went back to the beginning to take all this in again. Some of us really come from generations of guitars and music that fills a house. Like the writer, part of where I came from was a little green bungalow. This is not only relatable (not just to me but I’d guess to most readers) and thought provoking, but this poem contains good imagery and, well, is pragmatic. Great job.

Honourable Mentions:

The Wolf Cries, Author: Sarah Hackett

Wait For Me To Come Home, Author: Ziwen Wang, Moncton

Lost Echoes, Author: Eliza Johnson, grade 11.

Centerstage, Author: Quinn Ryan, grade 11, Johnville

Melting Horizons, Author: Ibtihaaj Enitan-Adelakun, Moncton

Goldilocks and the Wolf, Author: Lilyana Page

Mind of Walls, Author, Sarah Harfoush

2022 - 2023 Judge: Hope Dalvay

Winners

First Place: Charlotte Upright (Moncton, NB), A Valley of Burnt Skies

Second Place: Grace Pusey (Grand Bay-Westfield, NB), Floopinsbag, Duffelnoth, and Sir George the Scared

Third Place: Liam Johnson (Saint John, NB), Winter’s Claws

2021 - 2022 Judge: Lana Button

Winners

First Place: Meaghan Whittier, Through a Child’s Eyes

Second Place: Tori Garnett, Teenage Years

Third Place: Caleb Bulmer, The Main Act

Honourable Mention: Simon Hatfield, A Desperately Needed Change