Anya Thadani, Hayley Peters win the First Page student writing challenge
The winners will receive a one-year OwlCrate subscription and 50 books for their school libraries
Ontario's Anya Thadani and Manitoba's Hayley Peters have won the 2024 First Page student writing challenge.
Students imagined how current affairs events and trends — from virtual reality and the ethics of artificial intelligence to climate change and genetic editing — have played out in the year 2174.
The 22 finalists and eventual winners were chosen from over 1,500 entries.
Governor General's Literary Award-nominated middle-grade author Basil Sylvester selected the winners from two shortlists — one for each category.
Anya Thadani, 14, a student at Northern Secondary in Toronto is the winner in the Grades 7 to 9 category for her entry Fixed. The story is about people having the ability to control their health and bodies.
"Fixed is a fantastic first page. It draws the reader in with natural world-building. I love the juxtaposition between the calm family scene inside and the snowfall outside, even before the knock on the door. A knock on a door is a classic conflict-builder and this first page subverted the expectations by having the people at the doorstep be helpful and intimidating," said Sylvester.
"It understands perspective and information flow so well and I immediately wanted to know what happens with the medication and how the family would react. It's a short and simple piece that uses tone and setting effectively to convey unease even while the narrator is telling us they are hopeful for the future. An excellent beginning with a fully realized narrative voice."
Thadani spoke about what it means to win the contest.
"I'm so grateful to have my 'first page' chosen as the winner. The other entries I read on the shortlist were so impressive and creative," Thadani said in an email to CBC Books. "I've loved to write since I was little and winning has given me much more confidence in my writing."
Hayley Peters, 17, a student at Steinbach Regional Secondary School in Kleefeld, Man., is the winner in the Grades 10 to 12 category.
"Forbidden Realities immediately made me want to know what happened next. It took an idea from contemporary life and put it in a new context," Sylvester said in their citation.
"Many of the submissions this year felt like more or less complete short stories, but Forbidden Realities introduces conflict and gives the reader just enough information and context to have them engaged and wanting to turn the page to see how the conflict resolves. A dystopian vision that speaks to contemporary Canada."
Peters spoke about what winning this contest means after years of entering.
"It feels amazing. I never thought I would win this contest, but I'm so happy I did. I've entered this contest since Grade 7, and the fact I won in my last year is incredible. I'm very thankful to everyone who got me into the top eleven and to Basil for choosing me as the finalist," Peters said in an email to CBC Books.
The 17-year-old also spoke about her approach to crafting a first page.
"I focused on creating a world that drew people in and left them wanting more, so I'm glad that was acknowledged. This has made me realize how important it is to hook your readers right at the beginning and not let go."
Both winners will receive one year of OwlCrate, a monthly book subscription service, and 50 books for each of their school libraries.
You can read the winning stories as well as all the finalists below.
Grades 7 to 9 category finalists
- 182 Days by Andrea Dobson, 15, from Acton, Ont.
- Tree Hugger by Anna George, 13, from Vaughan, Ont.
- How We Strived by Suhaira Haq, 12, from Saskatoon
- The World Outside by Isla Harrison, 14, from Winnipeg
- Lousy Poet by Marek Hetlinger, 14, from Calgary
- 95.2% Human by Gunjan Parmar, 14, from Edmonton
- Here Under the Yellow Sky by Amalie Schwarz, 14, from Winnipeg
- The Golden Rule by Drake Shoulak, 13, from Regina
- Fixed by Anya Thadani, 14, from Toronto
- Smoke Signals by Robert Wells, 14, from Toronto
- Respawn Button by Barnaby Yu, 14, from Vancouver
Grades 10 to 12 category finalists
- Rouge Wave: A Written History of The Rediscovery by Oluwatise Adeni, 17, from Ottawa
- A Culture Taken By The Stars by Jacqueline Ann Rosario, 15, from Edmonton
- Upgrade by Erin Bergman, 17, from Edmonton
- Unartificial Intelligence by Kamryn Binns, 17, from Sydney, N.S.
- There Are No Fires by Basil Carter, 16, from Toronto
- Drifting Away by Atlas Chow, 17, from North Vancouver, B.C.
- Offline Echoes by Stella McAloon, 16, from Lakefield, Ont.
- Pandora by Sophie McGowan, 15, from Burnaby, B.C.
- Forbidden Realities by Hayley Peters, 17, from Kleefeld, Man.
- Processing by Hannah Schoonderwoerd, 17, from Baden Ont.
- Ad Infinitum by Tarika Stitt, 16, from Nanaimo, B.C.
Last year's winners were Christian A. Yiouroukis for his story Where the Maple Leaf Grows and Bee Lang for their story One Question.
