Minneapolis, October 12, 2005 – Minnesota Monthly magazine is pleased to announce the winner of the 2005 Tamarack Award competition, one of the nation’s largest awards presented for a single work of short fiction. Nicole Helget received a prize of $10,000 for her short story, “The Turtle Catcher,” to be published in Minnesota Monthly’s November issue.

The Tamarack Award is an annual prize for excellence in short fiction. Minnesota Monthly is committed to supporting excellence in the arts, and has a special mission to support literacy. The Tamarack Award was sponsored by the Tamarack Funds, a family of mutual funds actively advised by Voyageur Asset Management Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of RBC Dain Rauscher Corporation.

“The Turtle Catcher” is the first chapter of her novel due out in May 2006. Helget grew up in Sleepy Eye, is employed by The Free Press and teaches creative writing at Minnesota State while working toward her MFA. She lives in North Mankato. An award presentation will be held at Bellanotte in Minneapolis, Thursday, October 20th. Tickets are $20. For more information or to order a ticket, please call Elary Hall at 612-371-5865.

For information on the Tamarack Award or how to submit a story for the 2006 Tamarack Award, please visit MinnesotaMonthly.com.

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