The Canadian Aboriginal Writing Challenge

The Dominion Institute is challenging young Aboriginal Canadians across the country to write a short story about a defining moment in Aboriginal history. Students will have the opportunity to win great prizes and be profiled on TV.

Participants should read the Contest Rules before submitting a story and can access the Six Steps to Writing Historical Fiction to inspire the creative process. All stories will be reviewed by an expert panel of Aboriginal leaders and authors, who make up our Advisory Committee.

Deadline for the 2008 Writing Challenge is March 31, 2008.Teachers should visit the Teaching Tools page for information on group submissions.

There are two age categories for the contest. Young Aboriginal Canadians who are between the ages of 14-18 and 19-29 are invited to participate. Please access the appropriate guidelines for your age category.

The Writing Challenge is fun and easy. The historical event can be of personal or national significance and date as far back as a traditional legend or as recent as the Caledonia land dispute. Participants are also encouraged to be creative in their choice of writing styles. For ideas on some alternative writing styles click here.

Visit here to access further information.

We are pleased to congratulate all the participants of the 2007 Aboriginal Writing Challenge.

Chantelle Cheekinew of Regina, Saskatchewan placed first in the 14-18 age category with her story My Brother Wild Flowers.

The Canadian Aboriginal Writing Challenge is an initiative of the Dominion Institute and is made possible by a dedicated group of individuals and organizations. We would like to thank the ongoing support of our lead sponsor Enbridge Inc. as well as our national partners, the Royal Bank of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Learning Television, National Literacy Secretariat, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and The Beaver: Canada’s History Magazine. We would also like to acknowledge our community partners in Alberta, Legacy Magazine and the University of Alberta, who help us outreach to young Albertans.

Each year, the short stories submitted to the Writing Challenge are reviewed by an outstanding group of Aboriginal authors and leaders who make up our Advisory Committee.

Theytus Books Ltd. and the Dominion Institute have agreed to partner on a publication that will bring together selected winning entries from the young Aboriginal Canadians who participated in the first three years of the Aboriginal Writing Challenge. The first publication will be released in Fall 2007.

The Our Story publication, published by Doubleday Canada, brings together nine leading Aboriginal Authors from across the country, including Tantoo Cardinal, Tom King and Tomson Highway, who each contributed a short fictional story about a defining moment in Aboriginal history. The Our Story publication was produced with generous donations from Enbridge Inc., the Canadian Studies Department of Canadian Heritage and Doubleday Canada.

The Dominion Institute
183 Bathurst St., Suite 401
Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2V2
1.866.701.1867

www.dominion.ca
staff@dominion.ca