Ontario teens Claire Bisch, Leila Djuric win The First Page student writing challenge
Canadian teens Claire Bisch and Leila Djuric have won The First Page student writing challenge for 2025.
Students from across the country imagined how current events and trends — from artificial intelligence and climate change to cloning and war — have played out in the year 2175.
The 21 finalists and eventual winners were chosen from about 1,000 entries.
Bestselling YA author S.K. Ali was this year's The First Page judge. Ali selected the 2025 winners from two shortlists — one from each age category.
Claire Bisch, 14, a student at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School in Waterloo, Ont., is the winner in the Grades 7 to 9 category for You Will Not Remember. The story is about climate change and government corruption.
"In You Will Not Remember, deft, tense writing anchors us quickly in the room with the protagonist, communicating her place in a world we immediately understand," said Ali.
"The story presents us with a conflict that will undoubtedly awaken a hero we want to follow into this story promising action, internal growth, and resonant themes for our world."
Bisch spoke about what it means to win the contest.
"Thank you so much to the CBC for giving this opportunity to young writers. I am truly grateful for being shortlisted and for being chosen as the winner by S.K. Ali. Congratulations to all the other finalists!" she said.
The 14-year-old also spoke about how she approached the challenge.
"I've been reading a lot of dystopian novels lately and was inspired to write something in the genre for The First Page Contest. My approach was to portray a post-climate-change world where the lead character learns that everything she thought she knew was a lie, but that there's this glimmer of hope in the image of the plants."
Djuric, 17, a student at Rosedale Heights School of The Arts in Toronto, is the winner in the Grades 10 to 12 category for Digital Silence. The story is about AI taking over social media.
" Digital Silence features beautiful writing — balancing action and elegantly-captured internal processing — gradually stirring questions we want answered," Ali said about the winning entry.
"We just know we'll be carried into a story promising sophisticated themes, a sublime storyline and a likeable, [activated] hero."
Djuric spoke about what winning this contest means.
"I'm so grateful to have my work recognized by a massive media outlet like CBC, it's incredibly validating as a young creator," the teen told CBC Books.
The 17-year-old also spoke about her approach to crafting a first page.
"I planned out how a full story with my idea would (roughly) go from start to finish. Once I had that in my mind, I was able to work backwards. I wrote the first page with foreshadowing for a larger story that I may never write, but it was a captivating challenge nonetheless."
OwlCrate, a monthly book subscription service, and 50 books for each of their school libraries.
You can read the shortlisted entries below.
Grades 7 to 9 category finalists
You Will Not Remember by Claire Bisch, 14, from Waterloo, Ont.
The Last Human Athlete by Mehr Chandhok, 14, from Edmonton
The City of Numa by Jacob Fallah, 14, from West Vancouver, B.C.
Copy 097 by Amy Huang, 14, from Edmonton
The Way It Has To Be by Aisling Knight, 14, from Calgary
Wilted Reality by Averie Lauren Lee, 13, from Toronto
The Glass Cage by Ayo Matuluko, 14, from Halifax
The Live Spectacle by Ranti Oyebode, 14, from LaSalle, Ont.
My Tree by Eydie Padfield, 15, from Ottawa
The Unnatural Creature Extermination Project by Angela Zhang, 12, from Calgary
Grades 10 to 12 category finalists
Angel or the Devil by Erin Bergman, 18, from Edmonton
The Last Free Election by Lara Vicky Coutinho, 16, from Toronto
Day of Rebirth by Sophie Ding, 17, from Markham, Ont.
Digital Silence by Leila Djuric, 17, from Toronto
Loan Shark by Isioma Efobi, 16, from Airdrie, Alta.
Our Hidden Life at Camp Tamarack by Laurel Gilchrist, 15, from Edmonton
Bring Me a Medic by Alice Kim, 16, London, Ont.
The Red Annihilation by Ellie Leung, 15, from Newmarket, Ont.
Harbourer of Apollo by Alice Reierson, 15, from Calgary
The Lightkeepers of the Mind by Kaylee Selvarajah, 15, from Vaughan, Ont.
Toronto by Jessica Yang, 16, from Richmond Hill, Ont.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
7 minutes ago
- CBC
Chappell Roan says she will perform in Saskatchewan
In a recent interview, international pop star Chappell Roan said she will play a concert in Saskatchewan after name-dropping the province in her latest single The Subway.
CTV News
29 minutes ago
- CTV News
Extreme heat is threatening tropical birds, even in untouched forests, scientists warn
A macaw is seen at Santa Sofia Uchuma community, near Leticia, Amazonas department, Colombia, on November 19, 2020. (Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource) From the rainforests of Central and South America to the savannas of northern Australia, the world's equatorial regions are home to thousands of unique bird species, from macaws to toucans to hummingbirds, who thrive in hot and humid environments. But as climate change accelerates, tropical regions are seeing ten times the number of dangerously hot days than they did 40 years ago, threatening the survival of some of the world's most colourful birds, new research shows. Between 1950 and 2020, extreme heat events reduced tropical bird populations by 25% to 38%, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. The study shows extreme heat events are a 'primary driver of species loss' — which can explain why even bird populations in some of the most pristine corners of Earth are dwindling, said James Watson, a professor in conservation science at the University of Queensland and one of the study's authors. 'It really points to the fact that we've got to get greenhouse gas emissions sorted out, because these extreme heat scenarios are going to increase over time,' Watson said. Watson and his colleagues analyzed more than 90,000 scientific observations from more than 3,000 bird populations and matched it with daily weather records dating back to 1940, to see how bird populations responded to extreme weather events, including rainfall and heatwaves. They tested their findings against data on human industrial activity to focus specifically on impacts from climate change. Aracari toucan, tropical bird A collared aracari toucan sitting on the moss branch in the forest, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica. (Ondrej Prosicky/imageBROKER/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource) The scientists found that exposure to heat extremes (temperatures which exceeded the 99th percentile) led to a reduction in bird populations at latitudes below 55 degrees north or south, with the most extreme effects felt in the tropics, meaning latitudes below 23 degrees. The authors found the increase in heat extremes was more detrimental to birds than annual average temperature increases caused by climate change. Extreme heat poses grave threat to tropical birds The notion that bird populations are steeply declining is not new – a 2019 study found bird populations in the US and Canada have dropped by 30% since 1970, signifying a loss of almost 3 billion birds. However, much of this loss has been attributed to more direct human impacts, such as habitat loss from farming, logging and mining, or even building collisions. The study underscores the threat extreme heat poses to birds in tropical regions and helps explain why birds are dying even in remote and protected areas, typically considered havens of biodiversity. In two undisturbed rainforests in Panama and the Amazon, bird populations declined by more than 50% for the majority of species between 1977 and 2020, and between 2003 and 2022, respectively, according to the study. When birds are exposed to extreme heat, they can become hyperthermic, where their body temperature is elevated to a dangerous level. Since birds can't sweat, under these conditions, they may start to pant or expose more of their skin to try to release the heat. Golden bowerbird, tropical bird A golden bowerbird in Queensland, Australia. (sohnjoo c 2013/imageBROKER/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource) The bird may become dehydrated or disoriented, and in some cases, lose consciousness and fall from their perches. Exposure to extreme heat can also cause organ damage in birds and hinder their reproductive capacity. Part of what makes the tropics such important areas for biodiversity is also what makes them particularly fragile to climate change. 'It's almost the perfect storm,' said Golo Maurer, the director of bird conservation strategy at Birdlife Australia. In tropical areas, you find species with small populations that have found their niche in a very narrow band of temperatures, said Maurer, who was not involved in the study. 'This, in turn, drives amazing diversity.' But when temperatures increase beyond these comfortable bands, tropical birds struggle to adapt, Watson said. 'They've got far smaller populations, and their evolutionary capacity is much, much smaller,' Watson said. 'Another wake-up call' Maurer said the study shows 'we can't just sit back' and assume species will be safe because they are in protected areas. 'Climate change is so pervasive that it will affect those areas as well,' he said. Maurer said he has noticed how climate change is affecting birds in his tropical home of north Queensland, Australia, an area known for its biodiversity with a large number of endemic birds. For example, BirdLife's volunteer observers have been having to go to higher elevations to spot golden bowerbirds, small yellow birds which have a small range and live in the rainforest in Queensland, Maurer said. Watson said the study should serve as 'another wake-up call that greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are a major problem for biodiversity.' 'We have to abate climate change as a primary strategy, because we will lose vast numbers of species in the tropics if we don't.' By Lex Harvey, CNN
CTV News
29 minutes ago
- CTV News
61 seasons of ballroom dance at the U of S
Watch The University of Saskatchewan Ballroom Dance Club has been thriving since it's inception in 1965
