Jeremy Audet is, at heart, a storyteller — and now he is an award-winning author. The University of Victoria graduate student’s short story, The Lobster, was selected as the best of the 187 entries for the University of Lethbridge’s nationwide Bridge Prize short story contest.
The win earned Audet the top prize of $7,500, the largest cash prize for student writing in Canada, and validated a process that was years in the making. Audet, a wildland firefighter in British Columbia, described the emotions he experienced when he learned he’d won the competition.
"When I received the call telling me I was being awarded the Bridge Prize, I was standing in an airfield in the Northern Rockies, waiting to be deployed to a new wildfire. As we spoke, helicopters and trucks came and went, a column of dark smoke thickened in the distance, and thousands of people nearby were being forced from their homes,” he said. “There was joy and relief in my heart, knowing that a story I had spent years working on had received such warm praise. I'm immensely grateful to the Bridge Prize organizers, Terry Whitehead and Dr. Shelly Wismath, the brilliant jurors, and the University of Lethbridge for recognizing the strength of storytelling.”
Audet’s story was described as “dense and contemplative; the rhythm is tidal . . . the story is simultaneously speculative, contemporary, and historical. The writer has great talent, feeling and artistry,” commented Bridge Prize juror and Quebec author Madeleine Thien.
As the winner, Audet was able to work with Sirarose Wilensky, editor with House of Anansi Press, on The Lobster, which is now featured on the Bridge Prize website.
The biennial competition, established in 2020, is the only national writing competition of its kind in Canada and featured submissions from students in nine provinces. Only students attending colleges and universities in Canada can apply, with $12,000 in cash prizes awarded. The winner and three finalists also receive a $200 gift card courtesy of Munro’s Books of Victoria. New this year, the contest also recognized the best story written by an undergraduate student and the best written by a student at the University of Lethbridge.
“Congratulations to Jeremy, the three finalists, and our new award winners for their compelling short stories,” says Dr. Shelly Wismath, retired dean of the School of Liberal Education and Bridge Prize administrator. “Once again, our local and main juries praised the high quality of writing, diverse styles and imaginative storytelling. The future of Canadian fiction is in very good hands.”
Other finalists, who were each awarded $1,000, included:
Susan Sechrist from the University of British Columbia and her story Ecphrasis.
“Memorable characters and concepts in an efficient and innovative vignette structure. Had a collage-like feel, or mosaic-like, with the smaller daubs of colour creating the larger picture. Elegant and skillful,” concluded juror George Murray.
Ayda Niknami, also from UBC, created The Martyr’s Mother, which was described as, “Imaginative, fast-paced, interesting, visual. The Martyr’s Mother is commendable for being highly imaginative capturing the readers imagination. It was interesting and very visual,” said juror Michelle Good.
Camille Pavlenko, from UBC and a ULethbridge alumna, was the third finalist with her story A Disease of the Hollow Organs.
“The writing is inviting, open and imaginative, with characters interacting and intertwining beautifully like a well-orchestrated dance,” commented juror Danny Ramadan. “The metaphors were delightful, and the command of the plot was strong and capable.”
A new prize recognizing the top undergraduate story honour went to Caitlyn Harding of the University of the Fraser Valley. Her piece, If Normandie Avenue Could Talk, also won her $1,000.
Indie MacGarva earned $500 as the best story from ULethbridge writers with Alice Is There.
The cycle now begins for the 2026 Bridge Prize with the competition’s Main Jury to be announced in November. Submissions for the event open in January 2025.