To win short story competitions, you need to pay attention to character development. Make your characters relatable and complex. Also, polish your writing style to make it clear and vivid.
As someone who loves reading novels, I don't have any real-time updates to answer your questions about the short story contest. However, you can follow the relevant novel websites or social media accounts to find out if they are holding a short story competition or essay contest and participating. Some novel websites would also regularly publish essay questions and competition requirements. You could read them carefully and participate in the competition if you met the requirements.
One popular one is the Young Writers' Award. It offers great opportunities for YA writers to showcase their talent. There's also the Teen Ink Contest, which gets a lot of entries each year. Both provide good platforms for young writers to get noticed.
Start with a unique and captivating idea. Make your characters relatable and the plot engaging. Pay attention to the language and keep it concise and vivid.
Since I'm not familiar with the 'Paddle to Canada' short story, it's hard to say for certain. However, it could be a story that focuses on the exploration aspect. Picture a group of individuals setting off on their paddles, leaving their home place to head towards Canada. Along the journey, they might discover new things about themselves and the world around them. They could come across different cultures if they pass by other regions, and the story could be about how this journey changes them, both physically and mentally.
The history of Indians in Canada is long and complex. They were the first inhabitants, with diverse tribes having their own unique cultures, languages, and traditions. Their story includes a long relationship with the land, relying on hunting, fishing, and gathering. European settlers' arrival brought many changes, often leading to displacement and loss of traditional ways of life.
A really good one is 'Bear on the Delhi Road' by Michael Ondaatje. It combines Ondaatje's unique writing style with elements of Canadian landscapes and the unexpected, like the title suggests, a bear in an unlikely place, which gives a sense of the strange and wonderful that can be found in Canada.
First, you need to polish your story and make sure it's well-written and engaging. Then, research Canadian literary magazines and publishers that accept short story submissions. Follow their submission guidelines carefully.