Awards

Canada 150 Best Books, Kingston Writer’s Festival,2017, The Clay Girl

Kobo Emerging Author Award, Finalist, 2017, The Clay Girl

Atlantic Book Award Finalist, 2017, The Clay Girl

Ottawa Independent Writers Frank Hegyi Award, Longlist, 2017, The Clay Girl

American Booksellers Association Indie Pick 2016, The Clay Girl
“This is a beautifully written story of strength and resilience, leading to ultimate victory over seemingly impossible challenges. This book, which is like no other in terms of character, voice, and plot, rewards the reader with a memorable heroine who triumphs over daunting odds.” —Joe Strebel, Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville, IL)

“ This novel is full of those take-away-your-breath lines, the ones you want to write down and keep in your pocket for when you need them. Ari joins the ranks of heroines like Lyra Belacqua or Liesel Meminger, girls who take the worst society has to offer and turn it into strength and kindness.” — Linda Sherman-Nurick Cellar Door Bookstore (Riverside, CA)

Finalist: Australian Book Review, Elizabeth Jolley Prize 2015, Butterfly as Metaphor

Finalist: Writer`s Union of Canada Short Prose Competition 2014, Butterfly as Metaphor
“Stylistically this piece is an electric storm; frightening and awesomely beautiful…”

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“The characters, the relationships, the metamorphosis fit together in the same way Neo’s brain makes its connections. Refreshingly original and crackling with life.
Winsome, engaging, great tone and startling turns of phrase. I would have given it 11 out of 10 if I could. The use of language is marvellously fresh, and the story becomes and unexpected meditation on healing and tenderness without ever turning sentimental. Dialogue is handled in a brilliant way, allowing the characters to come deftly alive. This story is both original and memorable. Of all the entries it was the only one That I wanted to reread as soon as I finished it.” Writer’s Union of Canada, Final Judges

Winner: Literal Latte Fiction Awards 2013, With All The Trouble Jesus Went Through He Should at Least Get a Jelly Bean Brilliant story! Complicated, compassionate.This little gem quivers on the razor’s edge between hilarious and heartbreaking. I’m still bleeding.

Finalist, SLS Unified Literary Contest 2012, Vanishing Point

Finalist: PRISM International Non Fiction Contest 2012, Vanishing Point

Finalist: Malahat Novella ‘Prize’ 2012, Time Flies

Finalist: Constance Rooke Creative Non Fiction ‘Prize’ 2012, Frozen Section

Merit-based Scholarship, SLS Unified Literary Contest 2012, Clay Children

Semi-finalist: Writer`s Union of Canada Short Prose Competition 2012, Colour in Air
“Acute sense of humour and word play. Energetic momentum, distinctive voice and extravagantly original take on senses and sensibilities.” Judge’s comments.

Finalist: Malahat Open Season Award for Non-Fiction 2012, Vanishing Point

Merit-based Scholarship, SLS Unified Literary Contest 2011, Butterfly as Metaphor
“Smart, energetic, coolly idiosyncratic, fast-paced and engaging.” Mikhail Iossel, Summer Literary Seminars Director

Finalist: Malahat Far Horizon`s Award for Short Fiction 2011, Butterfly as Metaphor

Winner: Writer`s Union of Canada Short Prose Competition 2011, For All the Trouble Jesus Went Through He Should At Least Get a Jellybean
“This writer features quirkiness and original characters and the humour in this wonderfully tilted story is sharp and delivers much emotional impact…”

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“A well written story, focused and balanced, coming close but not veering into absurdity. It captures the ambiance of the narrator’s life with humour and without angst, creating a credible world and characters. It leaves the reader with both a sense of having witnessed the satisfying completion of a story and the expectation that for the characters, it is not over. The story turns out to be a refreshing variation on a little memoir of a narrator suffering traumatic stress as a result of crazy parenting. A kind of provincial lingo is sustained picturesquely throughout. The essential situation is deftly given in the opening paragraph. A zany world in which mom is precariously balanced and father and son connive to keep the family going, allring true. This writer has a wild comic flair…” Writer’s Union of Canada, Final Judge, Tarek Fatah, Author, Broadcaster

Finalist: Writer`s Union of Canada Short Prose Competition 2011, Stages of Grief
“This story is a gorgeous tour de force! Of all the stories I read, this one was the most confident, the most artistic and the most accomplished. Ms. Tucker makes fantastic use of the word limit, telling the story of a married man’s extramarital affair on an office building rooftop by breaking it into four stages of grief. Tremendous use of tiny details that make this story and its characters come to life. This piece beat the others in my pile by a good country mile!”

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“A well written story; it has change, movement, and progression. It gets somewhere from its starting point. Nicely balanced. One feels a design has been formed which will lead off into further development on the part of the characters. Though the plot centres on a mundane and brief sexual encounter, growth, reassessment, and even hope arise from that catalyst. The protagonist has not merely witnessed or experienced, as is the case in too many contemporary short stories, but has acted for good or ill and has been changed by his actions. The writer demonstrates a strong and clear voice and introduces us to quirky, original characters. There are several excellent turns of phrase, i.e., “The fresh edge of sandalwood hit.” “Her skin fluoresced” “Do I look fat in this elevator.” And the insightful “How can someone not know that every moment you have is huge.” The minimalist treatment of the sex that occurred between characters is exactly right, and the tango between humour/seriousness is delightful. It is a beautiful, complete in itself story. A story that engaged me from the first paragraph making the choice of winning entry difficult. There is clarity of character, both the narrator’s and the young woman’s. The story has energy, tension, and a sense that it’s going somewhere. Dialogue rings true for the characters, and it has an ending with a little magic twist to leave the reader wondering (in a good way) and with a smile.” Writer’s Union of Canada, Final Judge, Tarek Fatah, Author, Broadcaster

Finalist: 2010 Writer`s Union of Canada Short Prose Competition 2010, Damn Yangtze

First Place: WCDR Wild Words Contest 2010, 6. She`s stunningly unpredictable
“I was impressed by the unique style of this storyteller – to convey so much character solely through dialogue is a true measure of a writer’s craft. And watching the heroine’s personal journey to strength .” Susanna Kearsley, Author

Second Place: WCDR Wild Words Contest 2010, A Windowed Wall
“A very full story gradually revealed through interactions between characters, so that we as readers are constantly re-adjusting our lens on what we think is going on. This memorable story really stood out for me, combining vivid and sympathetic characters and a strong writing voice.” Susanna Kearsley, Author

Finalist: WCDR Wild Words Contest 2010, Overwintering
“The heroine of this story is instantly likeable, and very, very real, which made me want to walk along with her and see things through her eyes. Nice ending.” Susanna Kearsley, Author

Honorable Mention With Distinction: WCDR Wicked Words Contest 2009, Dirty Scrabble
“Nicely constructed story, with several layers. Controlled humour. Fully realized characters. Although there are several events depicted here, their presentation never feels episodic Beneath the veneer of humour is a poignant story, told with restraint. This is the type of story that could easily have gone astray with less control. Very accessible and audience friendly.” Rabindranath Maharaj, Author

Honorable Mention With Distinction: WCDR Wicked Words Contest 2009,Animating Daisy
“Great dialogue The characters are well constructed.” Rabindranath Maharaj, Author

Honorable Mention: WCDR Wicked Words Contest 2009, Beyond Ideas
“A fine story. Dense. Quite original.” Rabindranath Maharaj, Author

First Place: WCDR Short Fiction Contest 2008, Coming and Going and Life in Between

Finalist: WCDR Short Fiction Contest 2008, Woman is a Four Letter Word

First Place: WCDR Short Fiction Contest 2007, Time Flies
“I like everything about this story. The characters are strong, and I feel for them all. I like the use of humour, especially in that it doesn’t interfere with the genuine emotional heart of the piece. I like the texture, the background details which add up to a fully realized world.” Robert Weirsma, Author

Honorable Mention: WCDR Short Fiction Contest 2007, Layers

First Place: WCDR Short Fiction Contest 2006, Warning: University education may cause premature graying, recent study finds

Second Place: WCDR Short Fiction Contest 2006, Colour Outside the Lines

Second Place: The Writing Fairy Humour-Writing Contest 2006, Freudian Slippers

Honorable Mention: WCDR 24-Hour Non-Fiction Contest 2006, Light Flight

Finalist: WCDR 24-Hour Non-Fiction Contest 2005, Company of Angels

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