The title This Time was an appropriate name for the winning story, considering Okanagan College’s Three-hour Short Story Contest is all about time — 180 minutes precisely.
This Time by Pip Dryden won the top prize for writers from the Kelowna campus, as well as the overall prize.
Winners from other campuses were:
• Splat by Daniel Greene (OC – Penticton)
• About Otters by Adam Lauze (OC – Salmon Arm)
• Dinner Dive by Mirka Yargeau (OC – Vernon)
The regional winners were awarded a $250 tuition credit. Dryden also received an additional $250 tuition credit. All will have their stories published in limited fine-press edition by Kalamalka Press.
For Dryden, a second-year Associate of Arts student at the Kelowna campus, entering the contest was a way to overcome her creative block and be motivated in a fun environment.
“The only thing I had in my brain when I started writing was the first line of the story,” Dryden said. “I tried to not be too formulaic and the story just sort of built itself around that.”
Presented by OC's English department, the seventh annual contest took place on Saturday, Nov. 5 across all four campuses. This year’s phrase was “under the weather.”
This free contest takes place every fall and is open to Okanagan College students as well as high school students in Grades 11 and 12.
Winning stories can be read online at www.okanagan.bc.ca/3hourwriting