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The First Page student writing challenge is an annual competition for Grades 7 to 12 students.
Each year, CBC Books asks students to give us a glimpse of the great Canadian novel of the future. They write the first page of a book set 150 years in the future, with the protagonist facing an issue that’s topical now and set the scene for how it’s all playing out in a century and a half.
Over 1,200 stories were submitted for the 2026 competition. Two winning entries — one from the Grades 7 to 9 category and one from the Grades 10 to 12 category — will be chosen by bestselling author June Hur.
This year, YA authors Andre Fenton, Tash McAdam and Jen Ferguson will be combing through the entries to find the best first pages and select the shortlist.
The Summer Between Us is a YA novel by Andre Fenton. (William Dicks)
Andre Fenton is an award-winning African Nova Scotian author, spoken-word artist, and arts educator who has represented Halifax at eight national poetry festivals across Canada. He was the 2015 recipient of The Spirit of The Slam Award. Andre is an author of two YA novels, Worthy of Love, which won bronze in The Coast Best of, and Annaka, a finalist for the 2021 Ann Connor Brimer Award.
He is the Narrative Program Director at The Bus Stop Theatre Co-Op and was the 2023 recipient of the Portia White Protege Award and a 2022 recipient of an Emerging Artist Recognition Award from Creative NS Awards. Andre has facilitated writing and performance workshops in over 100 classrooms across Nova Scotia, and founded The Ink Collective, a Black writers workshop series. He is currently screenwriting the film adaptation of his novel, ANNAKA with Fine Devil Films.
His latest book is the YA novel The Summer Between Us, which won Gold in The Coast’s 2022 Best Of Awards. The book takes place just after high school graduation, as Adrian struggles with the decision to spend his summer on-tour with his girlfriend Mel, her band and the discomfort of mostly-white punk spaces. Adrian also tries to forge a stronger connection with his father, and comes to terms with what he’s truly passionate about.
Jen Ferguson, author of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is a YA novel by Jen Ferguson. (Jen Ferguson, HarperCollins)
Jen Ferguson is an author, activist and academic of Michif/Métis and Canadian settler heritage, currently based in Iowa. Ferguson has a PhD in English and creative writing. Her work includes the 2016 novel Border Markers and her essay Off Balance was featured in Best Canadian Essays 2020.
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, her debut YA novel, won the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award for young people’s literature — text. She is also the author of the novels, Those Pink Mountain Nights, A Constellation of Minor Bears, and the upcoming Like Glass.
LISTEN | Jen Ferguson on The Next Chapter:
The Next Chapter12:17Self-discovery and pizza in Those Pink Mountain Nights
YA author Jen Ferguson tells the story of a young Indigenous protagonist who gets her first job at a local Alberta pizza shop. Those Pink Mountain Nights balances telling an inspiring coming-of-age story with timely topics such as missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Tash McAdam, author of No One Left But You
No One Left But You is a YA novel by Tash McAdam. (tashmcadam.com, Soho Teen)
Tash McAdam is a Welsh-Canadian author, activist and high school educator. Their publications include YA dystopian series The Psionics, and the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections Blood Sport and Sink or Swim. McAdam’s other books include the critically-acclaimed trans-led murder mystery No One Left But You, and Airlock. They are also featured in multiple anthologies.
McAdams’s book The Ooze, is a science fiction thriller for ages 9-12. In the novel, Bran seems to be the only person left in Vancouver who doesn’t have black ooze dripping from their ears — not to mention that his own mother can’t remember his name. Bran must act fast to figure out what’s going on.
Tash is a recipient of the Shoot for the Moon fund for trans writers and is passionate about social justice and mentors trans youth through the Gender Generations Project, a program they sit on the board for and were instrumental in founding.
More contest details
THE CHALLENGE: We want Grades 7 to 12 students to give us a glimpse of the great Canadian novel in the year 2176. Your challenge is to write the first page of a novel set 150 years in the future, with your protagonist facing an issue that’s topical today and setting the scene for how it’s all playing out in a century and a half.
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.
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.
TEACHER GUIDES: Visit Curio.ca for discussion questions and writing tips from Canadian writers, like Cory Doctorow, Linwood Barclay, Fonda Lee, Cherie Dimaline, Erin Bow, Katherena Vermette and M.G. Vassanji.
