BOOK of the YEAR

Student Contest

You are invited to participate in a student contest to show how the MacEwan Book of the Year has inspired you. Eligbility and submission guidelines are posted in March each year.

Eligibility

Full-time or part-time MacEwan University students are eligible to enter the contest. There is no requirement for good academic standing.

How to enter

1. All submissions must be accompanied by a cover page that includes your full contact information and the category you are competing in. Please include the following on the cover page:

  • Name
  • Program and year of study
  • Mailing address
  • Submission category (see below)
  • Phone number(s)
  • Email address
  • Word count of submission

Aside from the cover page, do not put any identifying information on your submission.

2. All submissions must be saved in electronic form (.docx, PDF, .mp4, .mov etc.) and sent as an attachment or shared file to bookoftheyear@macewan.ca. Please type "Student Contest Entry" in the subject line.

3. Award recipients and those receiving honourable mention have the option of publishing their creative submissions on the MacEwan Book of the Year website.

For more information, contact bookoftheyear@macewan.ca.

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 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.
  • 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 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 Book of the Year Committee, Office of the Provost. A maximum of four awards, valued at $750 each, will be presented for use toward future tuition fees.

Book of the Year student work

Each year, students from the Department of Design respond to MacEwan's Book of the Year. Enjoy this gallery of creative responses to the 2022/23 Book of the Year, Rivka Galchen’s Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch and the 2023/24 Book of the Year, Jessica John’s Bad Cree.

book-contest-carousel-img1.jpg
Max Abriotti created a book design for Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch (2022/23). She says, “Winding rope twists and turns to represent the rumours and their travel. The rope ends with a noose, alluding to the main character's mortality and imminent execution.”
book-contest-carousel-img2.jpg
Raquel Afflek created the branding and packaging for Witch Mother, an all-natural remedy line inspired by the book’s main character, Katharina Kepler. The product names reflect concepts found in Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch (2022/23).
book-contest-carousel-img3.jpg
The trees on the front cover of Jasmeen Nona’s book cover design resemble jail bars, symbolizing Mackenzie’s confinement within her dreams. The back cover shows a crow’s wing, depicting the woods in her dreams in Bad Cree (2023/24).
book-contest-carousel-img4.jpg
Tessa New uses expressive typography and the imagery of hands to illustrate the progression of the Mackenzie’s perspective on grief and its effects on relationships in Bad Cree (2023/24).
book-contest-carousel-img5.jpg
Jennifer Onwudinjo’s design of herbal remedy flashcards incorporate the accusations made against Katharina in Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch (2022/23), like digging up her father’s skull or causing a storm.
book-contest-carousel-img6.jpg
These natural products, created by Susanna Woudstra, provides a modern take on the herbs that Katharina, the main character in Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch (2022/23), uses in many of her remedies. The packaging describes the importance and benefits of learning about the natural world.
book-contest-carousel-img7.jpg
Luis Campos's fanzine, Mackenzie’s diary, is based on the dreams, notes and memories found within the world of Bad Cree (2023/24).
book-contest-carousel-img8.jpg
This postcard series, created by Karen Lui, embeds Mackenzie’s emotional journey into key environments from Bad Cree (2023/24).
book-contest-carousel-img9.jpg
Connor Thomson designed wine labels that are named after Katharina’s enemies in Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch (2022/23): the Cabbage, the Werewolf,and the False Unicorn. He says, “The modern and clean style of the wine labels was inspired by the modern nature of the author’s storytelling.”
book-contest-carousel-img10.jpg
Atlas Benoit's incense packing is designed to delve into Mackenzie and her sisters' personalities, and struggles with grief and death. By utilizing Bad Cree’s (2023/24) rich descriptions of the environment, each box embodies the essence of each sister through scent and symbolism.

Past winners

  • Hunter Cairns (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project winner
  • Haley Yariwon (Bachelor of Design) – Creative Project winner
  • Brandon Lang (Bachelor of Arts) – Creative Writing winner
  • Bryant Ong (Library and Information Technology) – Critical Essay winner
  • Ashley Alton (Bachelor of Arts) – Creative Writing honourable mention
  • Aimee Lundell (Bachelor of Science) – Critical Essay honourable mention
  • Mohammad (Fouzan) Nazir (Bachelor of Science) – Critical Essay honourable mention
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Kate Lemke – Creative Project winner
  • Tatiana Dutka –Critical Essay winner
  • Nicole Bork – Creative Writing winner
  • 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
  • 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
  • Carrianne Peters – Creative Project winner
  • Jessica Barratt – Critical Essay winner
  • Sam Darlington – Critical Essay honorable mention
  • Carrie Malin – Critical Essay honorable mention
  • Karla Weder – Critical Essay winner
  • Kaley Pederson – Creative Project winner
  • Chelsea Barlow – Critical Essay winner
  • Devyn Lowe – Creative Project winner
  • Steven Horvath – Critical Essay winner
  • Heather Skinner – Creative Project winner
  • Ariel Lekas – Critical Essay winner

SER logo

This opportunity/event is eligible for your Student Experience Record (SER). Find out more and create your SER in the MacEwanLife portal.

SER