Fiction Contest 2025: The Winners
It’s time! Here are the winners of the 2025 Fiction Contest, as chosen by our wonderful judge, Janika Oza. Congratulations to these writers on their big success for their works!
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FIRST PLACE: Georgie Millionaire, by Camille Pavlenko
Camille (she/her) is an award-winning theatre and literary artist who is passionate about
contributing to the arts ecology of her home province of Alberta, where she has works as a
writer, actor, playwright, educator, and producer. She is a current graduate student in the
Creative Writing Program at the University of British Columbia and the artistic associate at Verb
Theatre. Camille is a proud two-time recipient of the Shevchenko Foundation’s Short Prose Prize and, in
2024, she was a finalist for The Bridge Prize. As a playwright, Camille’s written works have been
produced and developed at Lunchbox Theatre, Alberta Musical Theatre Company, the Foster
Festival, Vertigo Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Caravan Farm Theatre, and Calgary Young
People’s Theatre. When not at her neighbourhood library (shout out, Memorial Park!), Camille
is writing stuff that will (hopefully) end up there.
With keen intelligence, honesty, and humour, “Georgie Millionaire” is attuned to the subtle and devastating shifts between siblings who have grown apart. The language is alive, as are the characters, who remind us that loneliness and connection are two sides of the same coin. I thought about this story—and about Georgie—long after it was over.. — Judge Janika Oza
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SECOND PLACE: Studies in Lepidopterology, by Abby Denne
This story is masterful for its ability to move us through time, space, form, and experience with grace and purpose, much like the moths it studies. There is deep grief here, alongside tenderness, beauty, and miraculously, hope. — Judge Janika Oza
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THIRD PLACE: Vanishing Point, by Alana Dunlop
Alana Dunlop is a writer based in Montreal (Tiohtià:ke). Her work has been published in ROOM, THIS Magazine, and CV2, among others, and her writing has received support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Tin House Summer Workshop. She is currently completing her MA in Creative Writing & English Literature at Concordia University. Find her at alanadunlop.online.
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You’ll be able to read Camille Pavlenko’s first place piece in an upcoming issue of Room. A final congratulations to all three winners!
As always, a big thank you to every writer who trusted our collective, and our judge with their writing. Whether it is 500 words or 2,000, submitting your writing anywhere at all takes courage, and we are so grateful for all those who chose Room to make that leap.
Last but not least, a thank you to our wonderful judge, Janika Oza, for the time and care put into selecting a shortlist and three winners – these pieces may have been small, but our gratitude for you is immeasurable! We couldn’t have run this contest without your thoughtful comments, patience, and careful consideration.
Room‘s annual Fiction Contest will open again in 2026.
