Toronto Star and Toronto Public Library Launch 2017 Short Story Contest

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 6, 2017) - Are you an aspiring writer who wants to see if you have what it takes to be a published author?

If so, here's your opportunity to see your story published in Canada's largest newspaper and to study with some of the top creative writing teachers in the country.

Starting Saturday, January 7, writers and aspiring authors who live in Ontario can enter the Toronto Star 2017 Short Story Contest, the biggest contest of its kind in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The annual contest, which attracts approximately 2,000 entries each year, is co-sponsored by the Toronto Public Library and the Humber School for Writers.

All submissions must be received by 5 p.m., Tuesday, February 28, 2017.

The first-place winner in the contest, which now is in its 39^th year, will receive $5,000, plus the tuition fee for the 30-week creative writing correspondence program at the Humber School for Writers, which has an approximate value of $3,000.

In addition, the second-place winner will receive a cash prize of $2,000 and the third-place winner will get $1,000.

The contest is open to all Ontario residents 16 years of age or older. Entrants can write on any topic they want. Stories must be original, previously unpublished and no longer than 2,500 words. Entries are limited to one per person. There is no fee to enter the contest.

The Toronto Public Library has been a partner with the Star in presenting the contest for the last eight years. This is the sixth straight year that the Humber School for Writers has also been a partner in the contest.

"The Toronto Star Short Story Contest is an exciting venture for all of Ontario, allowing us a glimpse of the wide-ranging talent we have in Toronto and all over Ontario," said Vickery Bowles, City Librarian of the Toronto Public Library.

A Humber School for Writers' panel will read all of the entries and narrow the submissions to a short list of 25-30 stories. The winners will be selected from the short list by a panel of distinguished judges, including Bowles, award-winning Toronto short story author Pasha Malla, Toronto Star books editor Deborah Dundas and theatre critic and author Richard Ouzounian.

Winners will be announced in April and their stories will be published in full in the Toronto Star. For complete contest rules, please visit www.thestar.com/shortstory

About the Toronto Star:

The Toronto Star, founded in 1892, is read by approximately 3.0 million readers a week in print, online (thestar.com) and on Toronto Star Touch, one of the news industry's most-innovative tablet apps. The Toronto Star is a division of Star Media Group, which includes Toronto.com, Torstar Syndication Services and the Kit, a fashion and beauty publication. Star Media Group also includes the Metro free daily newspapers in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Halifax, and the jointly-owned Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao. Star Media Group is a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, which is a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation.

About Toronto Public Library:

Toronto Public Library is one of the world's busiest urban public library systems. Every year, 19 million people visit our branches in neighbourhoods across the city and borrow 32 million items. To learn more about Toronto Public Library, visit our website at torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131. To get the most current updates on what's happening at the library, follow us on Twitter @torontolibrary.