Essay Contest

Teachers and students across the country have responded in both English and French to the challenges of the HKVCA Cross-Canada Writing Contest which has involved, as subjects, a chosen list of 5 soldiers who fought at the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941. The students were urged to look at one of the five, "Flash" Clayton, George MacDonell, John Osborn, Harry Atkinson, and the Newfoundland dog, Gander, who fought alongside the soldiers, and died in the battle.

The response on the part of students made for some extremely imaginative approaches to the task. They had been asked to develop a story that would show their empathy for the person involved, as well as opportunities for creativity in dealing with the basic facts that we know about the individual soldiers' situations. When the deadline, May 21st, had passed we had 42 entries from right across the country, and our judges worked diligently to mark their efforts, in both English and French, to determine the winners in the various categories. After the prizewinners had been decided, each entrant received a special Certificate denoting his or her participation in the project.

We hope to feature the work of at least a few of the winners in this space in the near future, and we list below those who received special recognition, and money prizes. Congratulations to all those who took part, and we hope to see an ever-increasing interest in the Contest in the years to come.

Pat Turcotte, Chair

Education Committee, HKVCA, Ontario Region

Cross-Canada Writing Contest Winners - 2010:

Cross-Canada Essay Contest Winners - 2009:

The judges for the Cross-Canada Essay Contest have completed their deliberations regarding the winners of this year’s contest. They were pleased with the entries, and cheques for those chosen have been sent along to the students involved. Here is a list of the winners:

Cross-Canada Essay Contest Winners - 2007:

Congratulations to all who participated, and we look forward to your involvement next year.