September 11th, 2018

WRDSB is proud to once again join the University of Waterloo to invite students in Grades 9 through 12 to participate in the HeForShe writing competition.

This year’s theme will be ALLIES. Allies use their energy and power to call out inequity and amplify the voices of people who share their own lived experiences of inequity. Allyship takes place on a spectrum from one-on-one conversations to leading movements. Participants are asked to consider how we can all be advocates for equity.

Through poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, we welcome students reflections on the past and your hopes, dreams, and directions for the future. When gender equity is connected to the dream of equality for everyone, how is our world made better? Your stories are a part of the Waterloo landscape — today and tomorrow. In what ways are you #HeForShe?

The University will award a $500 prize for the top submission in each category (poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction). Selected submissions will also be included in a special University of Waterloo anthology on gender equity that will be published on March 8, 2019 – International Women’s Day. The youth category winners will also be invited to attend the University’s International Women’s Day dinner with a parent or teacher.

Submission guidelines

Submissions for WRDSB students are due by October 12, 2018.
Eligibility requirements:

  • Contest is open to all WRDSB students in Grades 9-12.
  • Submissions must not have been previously published in any other forum, whether print or online. However, pieces that were previously submitted as part of school work will be accepted.
  • Entrants must consent to the publication of their work, whether in print or online.
  • Entrants must consent to editing of their work for grammar and typos, as needed.

Content and genre requirements:

  • Submissions must fall into one of three broad categories: fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry.
  • The 2018-19 contest theme is allies. Participants are asked to consider how we can all be advocates for equity.
  • Gender includes all genders, including two-spirit, transgender and non-binary people.

Formatting requirements:

  • Entrants may submit more than one entry, but each entry must be no longer than 5000 words.
  • Submissions must be received in Google Doc, .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.
  • Submissions should be emailed to heforshe@wrdsb.ca
  • Submissions must include a word count at the end of the document.
  • Fiction and creative non-fiction submissions should be double-spaced.
  • If a poem moves on to a second page, indicate stanza breaks with a backslash (/), as needed.
  • If submission is more than one page, include page numbers.

All submissions should be emailed to heforshe@wrdsb.ca