12^th ANNUAL GREAT CANADIAN STORY CONTEST WINNERS

The votes have been tallied. Without further ado, Storyteller, Canada's Short Story Magazine presents the winners of the 12^th annual Great Canadian Story Contest, as chosen by its readers.

The votes have now been tallied. So without further ado, the winners are:

	Dreaming of Home, by Katharine O'Flynn On the eve of the battle of Vimy Ridge, what divided two Canadian boys back home is forgotten in the trenches of France. What they share has helped them to survive.
	Wanderer of Refuge, by John Kupferschmidt Refugees from war-devastated Afghanistan struggle to make a home for themselves in small-town Ontario. But how can they become Canadians when their neighbours are constantly reminding them that they're not?
	The Last Bachelor, by Day's Lee In this inter-generational tale, a Canadian-born Chinese copes with the challenges of modern life, and finally understands the effects of the challenges faced by his immigrant predecessors.

Runners-up:

• The Language of Business, by Terry Ades
• Cousin Emily and Rodeo Ross, by Sandra Beswetherick
• Wolves at the Door, by Linda DeMeulemeester
• The Kaiser of Slocumb, by B.D. Miller
• Down and Dirty in Toronto, by Wayne Yetman

The Great Canadian Story Contest was inaugurated in 1995 in order to promote Canadian writing and, specifically, Canadian stories--stories that define us, and allow us to share aspects of what it means to be Canadian with each other. Every summer issue since 1996 has contained the winners and runners-up in the annual contest.

Originally, outside judges were asked to choose the winners. Often one of those judges was a long-time Storyteller reader. Commencing with the 2006 contest, all our readers became the judges. After all, they are the people for whom we publish these stories.

The voting this year was below expectation. "Maybe that says something about how good they all are," says Storyteller publisher Terry Tyo. "People want to enjoy our stories, not make hard decisions about them." Because of the low vote count, the entries all placed very close. This may, according to editor Melanie Fogel, "reflect the diversity of our readers. There's something in this issue for practically everyone, and that's how we see our readership."

The Great Canadian Story Contest issue, containing the winning stories, as well as all the finalists, is now on sale. It can be ordered through the website, where you can also subscribe to a year's worth of great Canadian reading.