Six Make the Shortlist for our December Writing Contest
We are so pleased to announce that SIX writers have made the shortlist for our December Write Prompt Challenge.
We try to choose images that can take authors in countless directions, and the photo of a simple school hallway was no different. These writers approached the provided image with wonderfully unique views that were clever and surprising.
Congratulations to Lily Bitton, Danielle Halliday, Patricia MacDowell, Jamie Malina, Julia Pape, and Nicole Schroeder — we wish you well as you go on to the final stage of judging!
Lily Bitton| shortlisted for the story, 'Interior Decoration'
Lily is a student living in Guelph and Toronto. She writes short stories and poetry. Her work has been published in Teen ETCH.
Danielle Halliday | shortlisted for the story, 'Hymen Op[t]era'
Danielle Halliday is a military wife and mother of two, a university student, and as of Monday, employed woman. She found her way back to writing during postpartum depression and improved courtesy of her English course. Writing has been a tool for coping with difficult situations and also naming and expressing difficult emotions. She has taken to prioritizing writing in 2026 for the good of her soul.
Patricia MacDowell | shortlisted for the story, 'The Unmeasured Space'
Patricia MacDowell is an independent filmmaker and writer based in Montreal. Her feature film Sweeping Forward won Most Popular Canadian Feature at the Montreal World Film Festival. Her essay The Unseen Battle Within was an Editor’s Choice at Litro US. She has completed a memoir titled From Shadows.
Jamie Malina| shortlisted for the story, 'A Taste of Night'
Jamie Malina is a Toronto-based assembler of sentences - the stranger the better. When he’s not imagining odd, faraway places and the people in them, he loves doing ordinary things: breathing, walking, and existing, preferably somewhere with a cottage and a lake. He’s working on his debut novel.
Julia Pape| shortlisted for the story, 'Trespassing'
Julia Edda Pape lives in Toronto with her cats. She loves to write stories and drink coffee.
Nicole Schroeder| shortlisted for the story, 'An Inch Below the Surface'
Fuelled by coffee, chocolate milk, and the grace of God, Nicole wakes each morning ready to chase twin 11-year-old boys, laugh wildly with her husband, and search for her car keys. Catch up with her on Instagram @little.raki
Watch for our announcement of the top three in the coming weeks!
