Dear Editor,

I would like to raise the awareness of the writing competition at Shawville Fair. The Shawville Fair has been operating since the late 1850s and this year is the fourth year for our writing competition. The contest is open to residents of MRC Pontiac and the Municipality of Pontiac.

There are six classes: fiction, non-fiction, science fiction/fantasy, opinion, poetry and a writing prompt class. For the writing prompt class the first sentence must be or include the phrase: “And just like that it started”. For people who write in French it will be: “Et tout à coup, ça a commencé”. There is a 1,000-word or two-page limit per entry, with each exhibitor allowed only one entry per class.

There are no age or language divisions, the entries are judged anonymously, and it is intended to be a good bit of fun for local writers. In 2025 we had 33 entries across the six classes, with nine exhibitors entering the writing competition for the first time.

The Western Quebec Literacy Council is once again generously sponsoring the Best In Show prize with an award of $200. This is a very attractive target to be aiming for.

Again this year there is a very excellent judge lined up to make all of the tough decisions. Leslie Dickson, publisher of The Hill Times, is coming to Shawville. She will use her years of writing and publishing experience to rank the entries.

This should be another good year for the writing competition and in advance I would like to throw out a big thank you to the Pontiac Agricultural Society, the Western Quebec Literacy Council and to Leslie Dickson.

I am available via email, mccann.thomas.david@gmail.com, or via Facebook to answer questions related to this writing competition. Entries must be submitted in person Wednesday Sept. 2 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Shawville fairgrounds.

Tom McCann, Clarendon