The 2024 war of the words competition is now closed.

Thank you to everyone who submitted and participated! We appreciate your creativity and look forward to reading your submissions in 2025.Thank you to everyone who submitted and participated. We look forward to reading your submission in 2025.
​Click here to view the 2025 contest details.

War of the Words 2024 ​Volume One

​FIRST PLACE
Collette Burjack
SECOND PLACE
Barbara Darby
THIRD PLACE
Carmen Poon

HONOURABLE MENTIONS
paulo da costa
David Jon Fuller
Stephen James
Mark Lloyd
Kirk McDougall
Emily Mody
Katalina Szewczyk

Guest Judge: Robert J. Sawyer | Edited by Alex Benarzi | Cover design by Bibliofic Designs
Published by Alexandra Writers Centre Society, August 2024

Purchase a copy

Created in loving memory of Darlene Louka

Darlene Louka was a member of AWCS and When Words Collide. She stretched her literary fingers in poetry and later transitioned to science fiction and fantasy. A writer, a teacher, a creator. We created this contest in memory of her and the organizations she loved so much. 

UPDATE: This contest is now CLOSED. The top ten submissions were announced at When Words Collide 2024, August 16-18, 2024. For those who submitted their stories, thank you for participating. If you did not participate this year, we hope you join in 2025!

GENERAL RULES AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• This contest is open to anyone residing in Canada or the US and anyone attending When Words Collide 2024.
• Writers of all ages are invited to participate.
• Original, unpublished submissions only.
  
• No simultaneous submissions, please. This is a contest, your stories should not be up for consideration elsewhere.
• Only one submission per author.
• Collaborativly written stories are welcome, but if selected in the top ten, prize winnings are per story, not per person. 
• Open to all forms of prose – any genre - no theme, be creative.
• Submissions must be sent by submission form in a .doc, .docx or .pdf format.
• Please ensure pages are numbered and that you have a title. Your name must not appear anywhere on the document.
• In the header, please include the title of your story.
• Your story must be typed and double-spaced in an easy to read, 11 or 12 pt font.
• Submissions must not exceed 2500 words.
• Authors retain all rights to their stories.
• ​Submission deadline: March 31, 2024 11:59PM MT
• You do not need to be attending the festival to submit.
• Submission fee $5 CAD

Please note: The AWCS and When Words Collide proudly supports creative writers. We will not accept submissions created with the use of AI such as ChatGPT. If your story is found to be created by AI in any facet, either before, during or after the contest, your submission will be disqualified.  We want to protect the intellectual property and copyrights of all writers and currently the use of AI in this form is unethical and an infringement on those rights.
 
Prizes
Top 10 winning entries will be published in War of the Words Anthology Volume 1 and authors will receive one free copy of the anthology plus:
 
1st Prize: $300
2nd Prize: $200
3rd Prize: $100
7 honourable mentions: $50
 
Winners will be announced at a special event held at When Words Collide in August.

pay submission fee: $5

submit your story