Short story contest for grade 7 & 8 students and Playwriting contest and mentoring project for adults

Write Across Ontario Writing Contest for Grade 7 & 8 students
"After the incredible success of the first Write Across Ontario student writing contest, Open Book is proud to partner with Planet IndigenUs, Authors at Harbourfront Centre and Lit On Tour for Round Two of this province-wide competition. 

"This time, Grade 7 and 8 students are asked to write a story of 250-500 words that begins with a story starter by Aboriginal Canadian author Brian Wright-Mcleod. Two winners will be selected from each grade. These fine young writers will be awarded $500 each and publication in the Open Book Magazine. 

Deadline: November 10, 2012. 

Read the overly long and confining story starter and other contest details here. 

Theatre InspiraTO's Playwriting Contest & Mentoring Project 
Write a ten-minute play. See it on stage! 

There are three options.  Option One and Two are part of Theatre InspiraTO's Playwriting Contest and are open to everyone without age or geographic restriction. You can only submit one play and apply to only one option.  Option three, the Mentoring Project, is only open to Canadians.  There are no submission fees.   

Theatre InspiraTO's Playwriting Contest

Option One: Submit a ten-minute play where the first line of dialogue in the play is: "I see a rabbit."

Option Two: Submit a ten-minute play where the character or characters must leave their home in the next hour and never return.    

Deadline to submit a play:  Dec. 17, 2012 (midnight E.S.T.)

We accept previously produced plays.  The playwright must own the rights to the play up to the end of June 2013 (i.e. plays cannot be owned by a publisher).   Any style is acceptable except musicals. 

Twelve ten-minute plays will be selected and performed. 1st Prize: $500.

The InspiraTOFestival will find the cast, crew and market your play.

The submission must be a play. A ten-minute play is distinct from a sketch, or a skit; it is a compact play, with a beginning, middle and an end. You need a character facing obstacles in pursuit of some specific goal. You need rising action, conflict, and a climactic moment. Your play must tell a complete story.  

The submission must be 10 minutes.  Generally speaking scripts (including the stage directions, character names and dialogue) that are over 1,900 words are more than ten minutes long on stage.  This does not mean that all plays under 1,900 words are under ten minutes.  Read the play out loud and time it (keeping in mind all the pauses).  You don't want your hard work rejected because it was too long.

Authors retain copyright and full ownership of their plays.

Option Three: Theatre InspiraTO's Playwrights' Mentoring Project 

This is open to Canadians only who have written a play and wish to fully explore the power of the ten-minute play.  You do not have to have written a ten-minute play. There are no registration fees.

Fill out the submission form. In the biography section also state why you feel the Playwrights' Mentoring Project is ideally suited to your playwriting aspirations. Submit a sample of a play you have written (not more than 15 pages).  For the submission form, click here.  

Twelve Canadian playwrights will be selected and work with a dramaturge and director to create and develop a ten-minute play from scratch.  Their plays will be performed at the 8th InspiraTO Festival in May 2013. The playwrights must attend a one-day workshop on Jan 12, 2013, in Toronto (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) They will also attend a half-day workshop while the plays are in rehearsals (some time in May 2013). There are no fees.

Deadline to apply: Dec 17, 2012 (midnight EST)

Full details here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.