S.K. Ali is judging the First Page student writing challenge — and wants to offer you some advice!

CBC

06-02-2025

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S.K. Ali is a bestselling YA and children's writer. Her books include the YA novels Saints and Misfits, Love from A to Z and Love from Mecca to Medina. She has also ventured into children's books with her picture book The Proudest Blue and the middle-grade anthology she co-edited, Once Upon an Eid which won the Middle East Book Honor Award in 2020.
She is the author of the brand new dystopian novel In Fledgling: The Keeper's Records of Revolution. It's the first of a YA duology, where two worlds are on the brink of self-destruction.
Ali is also the judge of the 2025 First Page student writing challenge.
The challenge will be accepting submissions until February 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Finalists from each category will be selected by a team of CBC readers. Finalists will be notified by email in the spring of 2025. The exact timing will depend on the number of submissions received.
7 writing tips for students entering the First Page writing challenge — from writers who know what it takes.
When it was announced that Ali was judging the contest, Ali had some writing advice to offer students thinking of entering.
"As a reader, I never judge a book by its cover. Instead, after locking eyes with the title — super important — I flip to the first page, my breath held in anticipation as I read — as I judge.
"It's one of the best parts of being a reader and I can't believe I get the opportunity to peruse first pages from a new generation of pre-published authors!
When I flip to the first page of a book, I'm looking for a few things such as: orientation, a hook, and flow. - S.K. Ali
"When I flip to the first page of a book, I'm looking for a few things such as: orientation, a hook, and flow. Orientation: when I step into the story, do I know where I am, what I stepped into? A hook: is there something interesting going on?
"And flow: is the scene clearly laid out for me to follow now that my curiosity has been activated?"
Winners will receive...
A one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which sends fresh boxes of books to young readers across Canada on a monthly basis.
50 free YA books for their school library
You can read the complete rules and regulations here.
Last year's winners were Toronto's Anya Thadani in the Grades 7 to 9 category for Fixed and Kleefeld, Man's Hayley Peters in the Grades 10 to 12 for Forbidden Realities.
Keep reading for more details.
Download posters for your classrooms: in colour, black and white, or mobile-friendly version
WHAT YOU CAN WRITE: Your entry can be 300-400 words in length. The story could be from any literary genre, from mystery or thriller to literary fiction, from adventure or romance to satire or science fiction. Your entry also needs a title, but the title is not included in the word limit. Your entry can be written in any genre.
WHO CAN ENTER: This contest is open to all Canadian residents who are full-time students enrolled in Grades 7 to 12. Entries will be judged in two age categories: Grades 7 to 9 and Grades 10 to 12.
PRIZES: The winner of each category will receive a one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which delivers monthly boxes of books and literary-related goodies. The school library of each winner will also receive a donation of 50 books.
WHEN YOU CAN SUBMIT: Feb. 1 to 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
TEACHER GUIDES: Visit Curio.ca Cory Doctorow, Linwood Barclay, Fonda Lee, Cherie Dimaline, Erin Bow, Katherena Vermette and M.G. Vassanji.