The 2025 Finalists

Thank you to everyone who submitted their work to War of the Words Volume Two.

Here are your top stories (all finalists appear in the War of the Words Volume Two Anthology).

Jennifer Glass - I'm Leaving You Today (poetry)
Dana Goldstein - Breadcrumbs (prose)
Helen Gowans - Labyrinth (poetry)
Stephen James - HOLOLife™ (prose)
Shane Kroetsch - Dispossessed (prose)
Jennifer Labelle - The Liar and the Thief (prose)
Andrea Lukatela - Inedible (prose)
Jodi MacAulay - Stolen Cadillac (prose)
Tanya McIntosh - La Minotauromaquia (prose)
Emily McKinnon - Somewhere Bright (prose)
Linda Sanche - The Protector (prose)
Cait Yaga - The Plainest Door (prose)

Winners will be announced soon!

ABOUT the 2025 Writing Contest

The War of the Words story competition is open to writers across Canada, the US, and attendees of When Words Collide 2025. Whether you're an experienced writer or new to the craft, we invite writers of all ages to showcase their creativity and storytelling abilities.

Created in loving memory of Darlene Louka
Darlene Louka was a member of AWCS and When Words Collide. She stretched her literary fingers in poetry and later transitioned to science fiction and fantasy. A writer, a teacher, a creator. We created this contest in memory of her and the organizations she loved so much. ​