Invermere youth’s story captures the most votes in writing contest
By Contributor
Kristopher Ede from Invermere takes the prize for the SCRATCH Writing Challenge Readers’ Choice Award.
The 18-year-old won this portion of the creative writing challenge, put on by Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), with his short story “the girl with the plastic pirate hat and the boy who loved her so.”
Ede’s story earned 29 per cent of readers’ votes, and he will receive a $300 bookstore gift certificate.
“It feels wonderful to have won, and I’m very grateful to all of the people who voted for me,” said Ede. “When I wrote the story, I never really expected it to go this far. All I really wanted to do was write something different from typical ‘teen’ relationship-based writing. I’m really thankful people have seemed to respond to it, and I’m very appreciative of SCRATCH for letting my story be heard.”
The writing challenge asked youth ages 15–29 to submit works of fiction with appealing characters, dynamic plots, magnificent style and a Columbia Basin setting. Ten finalists were chosen by a selection committee of published authors, instructors and a library representative, and then published in the special Summer 2010 edition of SCRATCH Magazine. The special edition also featured writing exercises and quizzes, perfect for those writers sitting at the beach this summer.
“We’re proud of what Basin youth have accomplished since we began this challenge last December,” said Michelle d’Entremont, CBT Basin Youth Liaison. “All participants are to be applauded.”
The overall challenge winner and runner-up were announced in June. Twenty-five-year-old Amos Tanguay from Nelson took the top prize and $1,000 for “The Geese Know Where to Go,” while 22-year-old Julia Caceres Booth from Winlaw was selected as runner-up and received $500 for her story “Trans-Canada.”
CBT takes an active role in developing opportunities for young people in the Basin by investing in projects and ideas brought forth by young people 15–29 years old. CBT has variety of programs and initiatives that encourage youth engagement, visit www.cbt.org/youth for more information. CBT delivers economic, social and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin.
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