Premier Award ~ WRITING

Mark Anderson

Judge

Mark Anderson is a journalism teacher with Algonquin College, as well as veteran reporter, columnist and magazine writer. His work has appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, Financial Post, Explore, MoneySense, Outdoor Canada, and a variety of other national publications. He lives in Ottawa.

First Place

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER - Steve Galea

The sublime Steve Galea does it again with his slightly offcentred musings on everything from glass-eating to aliens. Beautifully written and funny as hell.

Second Place

ORILLIA TODAYFrank Matys

They say timing is the soul of humour, and Frank Matys has it in spades. Great tone and construction.

Third Place

MANOTICK MESSENGERJeffrey Morris

Beautiful work again by the ubertalented Jeffrey Morris. Sweet, funny vignettes with just a hint of bite.

GENERAL COMMENT – So humour is supposed to be the most difficult form of writing to pull off, what with the all-important considerations of tone and timing, the meticulous set-up that precedes the devastating punchline. Maybe. But you wouldn’t know it from this year’s crop of talented humourists, for whom funny seems to come with effortless ease. As usual, it was difficult to select three winners from such a great field of submissions – harder yet to get the order of the three finalists right, since all three are excellent.