​Winners of the 2014 Geist Tobacco Lit Writing Contest:

First Prize: "Father Suite" by Patricia Young

Second Prize: "The Flower Lights Up" by Kevin McDonough

Third Prize: "Real Smoking Pleasure" by Jannie Edwards

Thank you to all who entered!

It calms, soothes, relaxes, smells great, tastes better; loosens muscles, heightens focus; makes you look older, makes you look cooler; dulls taste buds, shortens your breath; yellows teeth, blackens lungs; cripples your heart, fries your brain, and of course, it kills you. To the cigarette, for all that it does, it is time we pay tribute.

Since the dawn of time, writers have sought their muse at the bottom of a pack of cigarettes, hunted for meaning in a few fleeting drags. It is the sacred ritual, the scratch of pen on paper, match on strike pad, ink and carbon, write and roll; inhale, exhale, think, compose.

Cancer, strokes, birth defects, heart attacks, hypertension, and now $1000 in cash prizes: Tobacco has it all.

For inspiration, check out Notes from the Ashtray, the official Geist Tobacco Lit blog.

How it works:

Write some tobacco lit. True or false, and any genre—we're not picky, as long as it's an original work. Just make it 500 words or less. See our FAQ for the nitty-gritty.

Prizes:

First Prize: $500

Second Prize: $250

Third Prize: $150

Honourable Mention: $100

All winning entries will be published in Geist and on geist.com.

Entry Fee: $20

Includes a one-year subscription to Geist, Canada's favourite literary magazine. International entrants will receive the digital edition.

All additional entries are $5.

How to Enter:

Entry to the Geist Tobacco Lit Writing Contest is now closed.

Check out the Tobacco Lit Writing Contest FAQ here.

Still unsure? Please email geist@geist.com or call 604-681-9161 with your queries.

THE FINE PRINT

Winning entries: Geist takes first serial rights for print and non-exclusive electronic rights to post the text at geist.com. All other rights remain with the author.

All publication rights for non-winning entries are retained by the entrants.

Geist contests are open to all entrants except Geist staff, contract employees, board members and executives of the Geist Foundation.