Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) was a well-known Canadian writer and humourist as well as academic whose impact on Canadian culture and society has been recognized with countless awards, including being recognized as a National Historic Person of Canada. For me, his book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town makes him as quintessential a writer of CanLit as Lucy Maud Montgomery, Robertson Davies, Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje.
In 1947, the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour was established, and the student writing award in 1977.
The 2025 competition is now open, closing on April 15, 2025, and I encourage parents and teachers to invite Ontario teens (ages 14-19) to submit their humourous short stories or personal essays to this competition. The prizes are very generous and this contest gives young writers an opportunity to get their work out there and maybe meet a Canadian author of note. (See prizes below.)
Details follow. Full details can be found at https://leacock.ca/studentaward.php and inquiries can be made to Christy den Haan-Veltman, Registrar - Student Awards, at studentawards@leacock.ca.
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WHO MAY ENTER?
The contest is open to Ontario students (public, separate, private, home school, university or college) who are of ages 14 to 19.
WHAT TO SUBMIT?
The contest is looking for:
- an original humourous short story or humourous personal essay;
- maximum word count of 1500 words;
- a titled work; and
- formatted to include page numbers and the title on every page.
Depending on how you submit, whether online or by mail, the formatting will be different, so page attention to the requirements as posted on https://leacock.ca/studentaward.php.
HOW TO ENTER?
There is a $5 entry fee.Submit your writing by the deadline of Tuesday, April 15, 2025 through the following link https://leacock.ca/essayform.php or via mail (so make sure it's postmarked before the April 15th deadline).(All this information are posted on the Leacock Award website at https://leacock.ca/studentaward.php)
HOW WILL SUBMISSIONS BE JUDGED?
Entries will be judged blind. (Entries are opened on arrival in Orillia by a disinterested party who removes the cover page and assigns a number to the entry. The number is placed in a register, along with the student’s name and school, and the numbered entry is then passed to the committee of judges who are all published authors, many of whom have been nominated or have won the Leacock Award. The register is not returned to the committee until the judging is complete.)
WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
First Prize: $1500Second Prize: $750Third Prize: $750
Winners will be announced on Thursday, May 15, 2025.Winners will read their works at the "Meet the Authors Night" in Orillia on Friday, June 20, 2025 and receive their awards. (Note: All three student winners will receive two tickets, one for themselves, plus one for their guest, though additional tickets may be purchased.)The first place winner will also be invited (two tickets) for the Gala Dinner on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at which the winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour will be announced.
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Time to get your funny on and start writing.
Good luck to all young writers!
