Paman Jhajj has made the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Jigging.

The winner of the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.

The shortlist will be announced on April 21 and the winner will be announced on April 28.

If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes, the 2022 CBC Poetry Prize is open for submissions until May 31.

Paman Jhajj is a social worker who specializes in homelessness, child protection and healthcare. Writing is his creative outlet and he has only recently started sharing his work. He enjoys writing short and long fiction. When Jhajj is not writing, he enjoys camping, fishing, homebrewing and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Jigging is his first submission to a fiction writing contest.

"Reflections on life and death."

"I was inspired by a camping trip I went on in the summer of 2021. I enjoy backcountry camping and I try to go to Algonquin Park every summer. On this particular trip, a friend and I paddled out from our camp at dusk to fish. Fishing is a newer hobby of mine and that was my first time fishing in the park. While out on the lake, I was amazed by the beauty and serenity of our surroundings. I'll never forget that experience."

When he told me, I laughed. I thought he was joking. He had to be joking. But Eric just stared at me with a neutral look across his face. My smile faded. "Cancer?" I repeated.

"Of the bladder," Eric spoke in a hushed tone. He rested his hands on the collar of his life jacket.

"Cancer," I muttered to myself.

Eric shifted his gaze downward.

The canoe hovered on the glassy water, motionless.

The winner of the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.

The 2022 CBC Poetry Prize is currently open for submissions until May 31, 2022. The 2023 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September and the 2023 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January 2023.