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St. Ann’s – The Cabot Trail Writers Festival is announcing a new contest and online program which aims to help foster the next generation of writers on Cape Breton Island and the deadline to apply is Dec. 17.
The program is called Raise Our Voices and any youth, between ages 12 and 18 as of December 31, 2025 and currently residing in Cape Breton can apply. The winner of the Writers Contest will have the chance to take part in a three-month mentorship with a professional writer from Cape Breton.
Everyone who submits work to the contest, however, will be invited to take part in a monthly online inspiration forum that will run through the winter, noted Artistic and Executive Director of the Cabot Trail Writers Festival, Rebecca Silver-Slayter.
“Where we are going offer opportunities for young people to talk about their writing aspirations, what they’re working on, what their questions are, what their challenges are and do writing courses,” she said.
“And also, different idea generating tools together and meet with some exciting guest authors.”
This ends in the spring with an in-person coffeehouse event open to the public, including all the participants from the Raise Our Voices program. The contest winner will do a reading and also a mini interview with their mentor writer, but all the participants will be invited to share their work.
“So, it’s an opportunity to have that experience of being able to put their work out there in the world,” said Silver-Slayter.
“And all of this we’re hoping to kind of build over the coming couple years, toward eventually having a festival for young readers and young writers that would take place in the spring.”
The online monthly sessions, will run from February through April, with a professional Cape Breton writer hosting Zoom chats with participants about writing aspirations. Participants will also learn about the publishing process, creative exercises for getting past writers’ block and how to get ideas onto a page.
“I think one of the most important things that we are hoping to do is: not just helping them develop their writing craft, but to build a sense of excitement, fun and connection around writing and the possibilities it offers to find your community,” said the Cape Breton author.
Silver-Slayter, grew up in a small Nova Scotian town and always had a passion for reading and writing, but said it took a while to find a community to “share that excitement with.”
“And it was so powerful when I could,” she said.
“So, for me personally, I feel really excited about being able to help young writers and readers discover this as well. And what a wonderful way it is to connect to other people and share your work, self-expression and what inspires you.”
In recent years, the writers festival has been working on different ways to engage youth, such as collaborating with the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia to coordinate authors visits to various schools. This contest and youth mentorship program, added Silver-Slayter, is a different way to connect with young readers and writers on the island.
The Artistic and Executive Director of the Cabot Trail Writers Festival emphasized she would like to see educators and libraries supporting this new program throughout Cape Breton.
“To help encourage students to submit, but also as a structure for supporting them putting something together and giving them the confidence to do that. For young people it takes time, it takes knowledge and a lot of resources to build that kind of community,” said Silver-Slayter.
“So, we really want to be attentive to that because that’s the next generation of Cape Breton voices.”
The focus of the program, explained Silver-Slayter, is less geared toward the technical skills of writing and more about sharing ideas, being heard, and finding inspiration.
“I think it’s something that can be and should be available to everyone. You don’t have to be someone who sees a future profession in writing, or necessarily sees it as a core part of your identity, to do what really everyone has done since the beginning of time,” she said.
“Which is to seek ways to share your story and put words around what worries you and what you’re passionate about.”
To sign up for the contest and program individuals can apply at: https://form.jotform.com/252724104423245.
In addition to providing basic personal information, applicants are asked to provide a writing sample. The writing sample can be poetry, short stories, or an excerpt from a novel or longer work of non-fiction. The sample should be no longer than 2,000 words.
In January, applicants will be notified of whether they have been offered the 2026 Raise Our Voice Writers Youth Mentorship or are invited to take part in the Raise Our Voice Writers Online Program.
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