34th Annual National Capital Writing Contest (NCWC)
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Authors Association (CAA)
We are pleased to announce the list of finalists for this year’s NCWC.
The work of all finalists will be published in the 100th anniversary anthology entitled Building Community. Winners and honourable mentions will be announced at an awards night to be held on
Friday, March 12, 2021
7:00 p.m.
via Zoom.
In alphabetical order:
Poetry
“Fear,” David M Black, Wendover ON
“Ground Down—Down Underground,” Kathy O’Grady Bose, Ottawa ON
“On Writing,” Adam Jarvis, Ottawa ON
“recital,” Bob MacKenzie, Kingston ON
“The Curved Twigs,” John Morris, Ottawa ON
“A New Skin,” John Morris, Ottawa ON
“Our childhood smelled of lilacs,” LG Pomerleau, Nanton AB
“Seeking Grace,” LG Pomerleau, Nanton AB
Our Poetry Judge:
Asa Boxer’s debut book, The Mechanical Bird (2007), won the Canadian Authors Association Prize for Poetry, and his cycle of poems entitled “The Workshop” won first prize in the 2004 CBC Literary Awards. His poems and essays have since been anthologized in various collections and have appeared in various magazines internationally. Boxer is also a founder of the Montreal International Poetry Prize.
Short Story:
“Hungerbitten,” Laura Wang Arseneau, Fort Erie ON
“Mine,” Jason Boudreau, Ottawa ON
“Bodies in Trouble,” Diane Carley, St. John’s NL
“Will Destroy for Food,” Adam Jarvis, Ottawa ON
“Flickering Lights,” Alicia Maini, Toronto ON
“Transformation,” Donna McDougall, Perth ON
“Babble,” Archie Nicholson, Stratford ON
“Still Life,” Anna Rumin, Ottawa ON
“The Gentleman Hermit,” Russell Wardell, Carleton Place ON
“Whose Turf Is It Anyway,” Iris Winston, Almonte ON
Our Short Story Judge:
Kaarina Stiff is a freelance writer and editor who has been consuming, creating, and polishing stories since she learned how to read. She has published stories in Room and Cargo Literary Magazine, and she twice won the Toronto Novel Marathon in the young adult fiction category. Kaarina has served on the national executive of the Canadian Authors Association, as the branch chair of Editors Ottawa-Gatineau, and as president of the Ottawa chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. In 2018, she received a President’s Award for Volunteer Service from Editors Canada. She lives in Ottawa.
Congratulations to everyone.

Short Story or Poetry
First place: $300
Second place: $200
Third place: $100
Any questions or concerns? Contact us at NCRadmin@canadianauthors.org
Past NCWC Results
Find the results of past National Capital Writing Contests here: Past NCWC Results
Order Our Anthologies
See our list of writing contests and calls for submission here: