Annual Student Writing Competition
A country-wide challenge
Canadian medical students and residents are invited to submit reflective essays, poetry or short fiction that explore the intersection of mental health and the humanities to the Dalhousie Department of Psychiatry Annual Student Writing Contest. Each year, one entry in each category (medical student and postgraduate trainee) will be selected to receive a $100 cash prize. Winning entries will be published in the Department of Psychiatry newsletter, Headlines, and below.
Interested in learning more about the competition? Read a published report on the first decade of the competition (2010-2019).
Eligibility: Medical students, residents and fellows at Canadian medical schools.
Maximum word count: 2,000 words
Deadline: Closed for 2021.
To ensure confidentiality is maintained, patients and anyone else described in essays, stories or poems must be fictional or composite characters (with the exception of the narrator him/herself). Please indicate in your email whether you are a medical student or a resident/fellow. Faculty and a resident from the Dalhousie Department of Psychiatry and creative writers teaching at Dalhousie University will act as judges.
Entries can be sent as Word or PDF attachments to the Department of Psychiatry undergraduate coordinator, Kelly Hancock.
Full competition rules and regulations [PDF - 106KB]
*WARNING* Some winning entries contain sensitive content that some readers may find offensive or disturbing.
2021 Winners
Medical Student Category:
- Jordana Leilah (pseudonym)
Read Jordana's winning entry, On applying to psychiatry residency as a psychiatry patient [PDF - 104KB]
Postgraduate Trainee Category:
- Howie Wu, University of Calgary
Read Howie's winning entry, The Bridge [PDF - 30KB]