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WAR OF THE WORDS WINNERS 2026

6/29/2026

The view from within and beyond

The War of the Words is here! A huge thank you to all of the fine writers that submitted stories for consideration. A whopping 63 submissions were received!

Guest judge paolo da costa, last year's Writer-in-Residence for the Alexandra Writers Centre, was tasked with the daunting job of deciding which writers best captured the theme, The View from Within and Beyond.

Kiki Yee of At Bay Press has been working tirelessly behind the scenes on editing the volume for us in order to have copies available for sale at When Words Collide this August!

If you haven't got your WWC Festival Pass yet, make sure you select the add-on package including the new volume of War of the Words when you do!

And now, congratulations to these exemplary folks who went within and beyond!

winners

prose

First Place:
Alice on the Inside
by Emily MacKinnon

Second Place:
The Weight of Salt
by Aspen Noble

Third Place:
The Gospel of Toast
by Craig DiLouie

POETRY

First Place
Sandali
by Renato Gandia

Second Place
Truth Lies
by Lise Mayne

Third Place:
Passage
Meaghan Miron

Thanks as always to Avery at Bibliofic Designs for the stunning cover art - to be revealed soon! (not pictured at above).

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY!

If you have your festival pass, just select from the dropdown "I have a pass...I just want top purchase add-ons!"

PRE-ORDER

honourable mentions

PROSE

Strays Among the Skyways
By Mark Lloyd

Ghost River
by Cara Violini

A Sight of Small Magic
by Alyssa Cherise

POETRY

The Skeletons I Keep
by Carlie Melody Mae

The Tower Reversed
by C.J. Wilson

Fire Sale
by Shannon Elizabeth

SAWYER ON SAWYER BOOK LAUNCH

6/25/2026

WORLDWIDE BOOK LAUNCH OF "SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION" AT WHEN WORDS COLLIDE

SATURDAY AUGUST 15, 2026
1:30pm-3:00pm
THOMSON SOCIAL HUB
(Hyatt Regency Hotel, in downtown Calgary)

new! free to the public!

Join Shadowpaw Press and interviewer Richard G. Cameron as they celebrate the publication launch of Robert Sawyer's new 225,000 word career capstone nonfiction collection, Sawyer on Science Fiction.

From speeches at the Library of Congress and Cambridge University to articles in Science and Slate, this massive 225,000-word career-capstone nonfiction collection contains incisive commentary (and divisive opinions!) about every aspect of the science-fiction genre.

From the writer that the CBC, the Ottawa Citizen, and the American Library Association all call “the Dean of Canadian Science Fiction,” you’ll hear:

Why Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics are abhorrent
How Star Wars ruined science fiction
The power of SF to change the world
Ways writers might still thrive in the age of artificial intelligence.

Plus, get a peek behind the curtain at how Sawyer’s own bestselling novels were written.

A member of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, Robert Sawyer lives in Mississauga.

ROBERT J. SAWYER has won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best science-fiction novel of the year. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name, and his Quantum Night was long-listed for Canada Reads.

RICHARD GRAEME CAMERON has published the Canadian science fiction and fantasy magazine Polar Borealis, and since 2021, Polar Starlight, producing four issues of each annually. He exclusively publishes Canadian authors, poets, and artists, with a particular commitment to supporting emerging writers. Having waited 58 years before seeing one of his own novels published, he understands firsthand the challenges, perseverance, and determination required to break into the publishing world.

READ PRESS RELEASE

BLOG: THE LATEST & GREATEST

WAR OF THE WORDS WINNERS 2026

The view from within and beyond

winners

prose

POETRY

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY!

honourable mentions

PROSE

POETRY

SAWYER ON SAWYER BOOK LAUNCH

WORLDWIDE BOOK LAUNCH OF "SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION" AT WHEN WORDS COLLIDE

new! free to the public!

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Categories

our policies

Alexandra writers centre society

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BLOG: THE LATEST & GREATEST

WAR OF THE WORDS WINNERS 2026

The view from within and beyond

winners

prose

POETRY

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY!

honourable mentions

PROSE

POETRY

SAWYER ON SAWYER BOOK LAUNCH

WORLDWIDE BOOK LAUNCH OF ​"SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION" AT ​WHEN WORDS COLLIDE

new! free to the public!

Author

Archives

Categories

Stay Connected!

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our policies

Alexandra writers centre society

CONTACT US

WORLDWIDE BOOK LAUNCH OF "SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION" AT WHEN WORDS COLLIDE