BOOK of the YEAR
Student Contest
In the Winter term, the Centre for Teaching and Learning sponsors a student contest, inviting you to show how the MacEwan Book of the Year has inspired you.
Eligbility and submission guidelines are posted in March each year.
Categories
Submissions are adjudicated by MacEwan University faculty, with one prize awarded in each of the three categories. Although every effort is made to reward those entries of high merit, we reserve the right to not award in a category if we feel that no entry is deserving of recognition.
Creative project
- Creative projects are inspired by the structure, style, themes and characters of the MacEwan Book of the Year.
- Both individual and collaborative work is accepted.
- Creative projects can have a visual component in any medium (e.g., book trailers, video performances, visual designs, music, fine art, etc.).
- Submissions should be accompanied by a concise written summary outlining the project’s goals (i.e., what you want to achieve) and the relationship of those goals to the MacEwan Book of the Year.
- There are two awards in this category.
Critical essay
- An academic essay analyzes a significant literary or thematic aspect of the MacEwan Book of the Year.
- Only original, individual, well-documented work is accepted.
- This submission can be a research essay, personal essay or other type of essay.
- There is no strict word limit for submissions; however, the suggested range for essays is between 1,000 and 3,500 words.
Creative writing
- Creative writing submissions are original short stories, flash and micro fiction, poetry, prose poems, monologues, one-act plays or creative non-fiction inspired by the form, content topic or style of the MacEwan Book of the Year.
- Creative writing submissions must be accompanied by a paragraph that contextualizes how the original piece was inspired or informed by the MacEwan Book of the Year.
- Submissions should be in standard manuscript format.
Selection and award
Submissions are adjudicated by a selection committee, led by the Centre for Teaching and Learning. Contest winners are awarded $750 through the Centre for Teaching and Learning's Scholarship and Awards fund.
Past winners
2022/23 Rivka Galchen’s Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch
- Susanna Woudstra (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project/Design winner
- Charise Eryka Delson (Bachelor of Fine Arts – Music Theatre Performance) – Creative Project winner
- Michael Imrie (Bachelor of Arts) – Creative Writing winner
- Damon Pelley (Bachelor of Arts) – Critical Essay winner
- Jennifer Onwudinjo (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project/Design honourable mention
- Connor Thomson (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project/Design honourable mention
- Aleesha Amjad (Bachelor of Fine Arts – Studio Arts) – Creative Project honourable mention
- Ashley Alton (Bachelor of Arts) – Creative Writing honourable mention
- Jessalyn Leblanc (Bachelor of Arts) – Creative Writing honourable mention
- Ella Kryzanowski (Bachelor of Commerce) – Critical Essay honourable mention
2021/22 Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife
- Layal Zidan (Bachelor of Science) – Critical Essay winner
- Derek Lantz (Bachelor of Arts) – Creative Writing winner for his short story, Family Values
- Elise Cheung (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project winner
- Rachel Blaak (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project honourable mention
- Mary Escano (Studio Arts) – Creative Project honourable mention
- Thia Ma (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project honourable mention
2020/21 Iain Reid’s Foe
2019/20 Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s This Accident of Being Lost
- Melaina Goos – Creative Project winner: 1. Project rationale; 2. Project posters
2018/19 Michael Crummey’s Sweetland
- Clare Wiznura – Critical Essay winner
- Farah El Bakkouri – Creative Writing winner
- Laura Aisenstat - Creative Project winner: 1. Project explanation; 2. Project posters
- Ty Hudec – Critical Essay honorable mention
- Markwell Lyon – Creative Writing honorable mention
- Keira Zanbak – Creative Project honorable mention
2017/18 Dionne Brand’s Love Enough
2016/17 Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
- Rolando Bautista – Creative Project winner
- Jessica Dubauskas – Critical Essay winner
- Hannah DeWitt – Critical Essay honorable mention
- Sharissa Johnson – Creative Project honorable mention
- Janine Heber – Creative Project honorable mention
- Jessica Maclean – Creative Project honorable mention
2015/16 Kim Thuy’s Mãn
- Kate Lemke – Creative Project winner
- Tatiana Dutka –Critical Essay winner
- Nicole Bork – Creative Writing winner
2014/15 Patrick Dewitt’s The Sisters Brothers
- Janelle Foreman – Creative Project winner
- Miguel Macaraig – Critical Essay winner
- Desiree Billey – Creative Project honorable mention
- Mary Douglas – Creative Project honorable mention
- Caylee McKenzie – Creative Project honorable mention
- Taylor Lund – Critical Essay honorable mention
- Paige Wolfe – Critical Essay honorable mention
2013/14 Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse
- Jonathan Dyck – Creative Project winner
- Rebecca Regan – Critical Essay winner
- Elisia Snyder – Creative Project honorable mention
- Paulina Van Vliet – Creative Project honorable mention
- Farron Wielinga – Critical Essay honorable mention
2012/13 Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat's Table
- Carrianne Peters – Creative Project winner
- Jessica Barratt – Critical Essay winner
- Sam Darlington – Critical Essay honorable mention
- Carrie Malin – Critical Essay honorable mention
2011/12 Angie Abdou’s The Bone Cage
- Karla Weder – Critical Essay winner
2010/11 Annabel Lyon’s The Golden Mean
- Kaley Pederson – Creative Project winner
- Chelsea Barlow – Critical Essay winner
2009/10 Stephen Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo
- Devyn Lowe – Creative Project winner
- Steven Horvath – Critical Essay winner
2008/09 Heather O’Neill’s Lullabies for Little Criminals
- Heather Skinner – Creative Project winner
- Ariel Lekas – Critical Essay winner