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2025 Story of the Year Winner

The winner of the 2025 Story of the Year, along with the $50 prize and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, is:

Still Life by Paul D’Arcy

Very fittingly given his story’s subject, Paul has drawn a subtle yet powerful character portrait. We see the character and their implied backstory emerge slowly, with each “pencil stroke,” until the final few sentences bring it all together into heartbreaking clarity. Even the choice of perspective–the use of second-person pronouns–helps the reader step into the character’s inward-looking, reflective, lonely mindset.

Honourable mentions go to Omiage by Meredith McLean and Inheritance by Nathan Jones.

2025 Story of the Year Finalists

Here are the twelve finalists for the 2024 Story of the Year award!

JANUARY: Duplicity by Fiona H. Evans
FEBRUARY: Still Life by Paul D’Arcy
MARCH: The Gift a Medical Power of Attorney Bestows Upon You by Sharon Gerger
APRIL: Dishwasher by Alexa Yasmin Ferrer
MAY: Inheritance by Nathan Jones
JUNE: Queue by Tomiko Nanashi
JULY: Paithani Shadows by Shivan Pailwan
AUGUST: Omiage by Meredith
SEPTEMBER: Mycology Reveal by Ellen Townsend
OCTOBER: My Mom by Sarah Flick
NOVEMBER: Staring Awake at the Bottom of the Top Bunk by Liam MacDonald
DECEMBER: Holiday cards, she thinks icily… by Joanna Norland

The winner, as chosen by editor Tim Sevenhuysen, will be announced on Sunday, January 18!

The prize for the Story of the Year winner is:

  • $50 (Canadian)
  • Enshrinement in the 50WS Hall of Fame

Let everyone know your favourite story in the comments!

Throwback: In 2014, Bob Thurber won the Story of the Year award with his piece The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter. In 2015, Guy Preston took the prize with One Job Away From Retirement. The 2016 winner was Jennifer L. Freed, for Aunt Peg. In 2017, Constellations by Jonathan Kosik won the award. In 2018, Bob Thurber won his second Story of the Year award for The Summer of Sweet Mary (circa 1972). In 2019, Evan McMurry won the Story of the Year for After the Water. The 2020 story of the year was Your Pills by Jennifer L. Freed, for her second win. For 2021, N. West Moss won Story of the Year for A man (not her husband). The 2022 story of the year was Cherry Blossom by Tim Boiteau. In 2023, Jonathan Kosik won for the second time with Desert Blues in a Minor Key. Nina Evans won in 2024 with My neighbor is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

STORY OF THE MONTH: December 2025

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.

The finalists for December were:

Downstairs at the Community Centre by Ellen Townsend
Feud by Adrian L. Cook
Holiday cards, she thinks icily… by Joanna Norland
Perfection by J. Hess
Shortcut on Christmas Eve by Bob Thurber

The winner of the December 2025 Story of the Month is…

Holiday cards, she thinks icily…

STORY OF THE MONTH: November 2025

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.

The finalists for November were:

Cartwheeling Mama by Rita Riebel Mitchell
Faculty Assembly by Wendy Mages
Staring Awake at the Bottom of the Top Bunk by Liam MacDonald
The Flowers by Sarah Rudston
Cinematic Divorce by Cath Swanston
The Spectator by Amy Clare Fontaine

The winner of the November 2025 Story of the Month is…

Staring Awake at the Bottom of the Top Bunk