CBC Poetry Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $25 CAD per entry
Deadline: June 1, 2025
Prize: Grand prize of $6,000 CAD from the Canada Council for the Arts, the opportunity to attend a 10-day writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and publication on CBC Books; four finalist prizes of $1,000 CAD and publication on CBC Books
Description: Entries can be a single poem or a collection of poems up to 600 words. Entries must be unpublished.
Details: https://www.cbc.ca/books/literaryprizes/cbc-poetry-prize-1.4090929
Get To Know Contest
Genre: Poetry (19 years of age and under)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: Prizes vary and are subject to change
Description: Open to anyone 19 and under. Presented by the Wild Neighbours Society. Get outside, get creative, and enter the contest!
Details: https://www.gettoknow.ca/rules
International Wizard of Oz Club Annual Contest
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Art; all work must be related to the world of Oz
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 1, 2025
Prize: First prize of $100 USD; second prize of $50 USD
Description: The International Wizard of Oz Club’s goals are to encourage new writers and artists, and to explore a large range of Oz expression. Authors, researchers, and artists are invited to submit their work for consideration. Maximum length of 10,000 words.
Details: https://www.ozclub.org/about/oz-club-contests/
Room Magazine’s Creative Nonfiction Contest
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $39 CAD if you reside in Canada, $49 CAD if you reside in the US, and $59 CAD if you reside outside of North America, plus $7 CAD for each additional entry (includes a one-year subscription to Room)
Deadline: June 1, 2025, at 3:00 am ET
Prize: First prize of $1,000 CAD; second prize of $250 CAD; honourable mention prize of $100 CAD; all prizes include publication on Room’s website
Description: Room publishes work by people of all marginalized genders, including cis and trans women, trans men, nonbinary, and Two-Spirit people. One submission is one piece of creative non-fiction (memoir, travel writing, nonfiction humour, essay, literary journalism, personal journalism, biography, profile, etc.) of up to 3,500 words.
Details: https://room.submittable.com/submit?mc_cid=2bdfcb9908&mc_eid=40a3648b84
Canadian Jewish Literary Awards
Genre: Playwriting
Entry Fee: $50 CAD
Deadline: June 2, 2025
Prize: Cash prizes and public recognition
Description: The Canadian Jewish Literary Awards invites you to submit any books in English, French or Yiddish, on a Jewish theme or topic. The author must be Canadian by birth, by background, by education or by residency but need not be Jewish. Books must be published between June 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025.
Details: https://cjlawards.ca/
Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF) College Writers Award
Genre: Short Story, Nonfiction, Poetry (Ages 16 – 24)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 2, 2025
Prize: Grand prize of $1,000 CAD and, when rights allow, publication in carte blanche; 3 finalist prizes of a pair of tickets to the QWF Awards Gala and a free one-year membership in the Quebec Writers’ Federation
Description: QWF established a prize for young writers in 2017. In 2021, it was relaunched as the QWF College Writers Award. The prize is be awarded to a Quebec resident who is enrolled in one of the sponsoring colleges: Champlain, Dawson, Heritage, John Abbott, Marianopolis, and Vanier.
Details: https://qwf.org/awards/call-for-submissions-the-qwf-college-writers-award/
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition
Genre: Multiple Categories (see full list on website)
Entry Fee: Early-Bird fee for poetry category is $20 USD for first entry plus $15 USD for each additional entry and early-bird fee for manuscript category is $30 USD for first entry plus $25 USD for each additional entry
Deadline: June 3, 2025, 11:59 pm ET
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000 USD, an interview in Writer’s Digest (Nov/Dec 2025 issue) and on WritersDigest.com, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference including special recognition at the keynote, a coveted Pitch Slam slot at the Writer’s Digest Conference where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents, and publication of the winning piece on WritersDigest.com; first prize of $1,000 USD and publication of the winning piece on WritersDigest.com; second prize of $500 USD; third prize of $250 USD; fourth prize of $100 USD; fifth prize of $50 USD; sixth through tenth prize of a $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com
Description: Writer’s Digest’s annual writing competition aims to shine a spotlight on up and coming writers. Competition categories are Inspirational/Spiritual, Memoirs/Personal Essay, Print or Online Article, Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.), Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Rhyming Poetry, Non-rhyming Poetry, Script (Stage Play/Television/Movie Script/Short Film) and Children’s/Young Adult Fiction.
Details: http://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/annual-writing-competition
John Fleming Award in Decorative Arts Writing
Genre: Original magazine writing on decorative arts
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 6, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: $1,000 CAD and publication in Ornamentum magazine and website
Description: This award recognizes an exceptional example of original magazine writing on decorative arts in Canada. Decorative arts are creative works, often of a practical or useful nature, produced by an artist, craftsman, or amateur, which have intrinsic aesthetic and/or historical value. These arts include architectural ornament; ceramics; glass; furniture and furnishings; graphics; metalwork and jewelery; textiles; theatre arts; and interior, industrial, and landscape design.
Details: https://csda-ccad.org/Awards/
Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Poetry and Short Story Contest
Genre: Poetry, Short Story
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 7, 2025
Prize: Junior (12 and under) first prize of $50 CAD in each category of poetry and short story; intermediate (13 – 18) first prize of $75 CAD in each category of poetry and short story; open first prize of $125 CAD in each category of poetry and short story
Description: The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba invites you to submit previously unpublished poetry, up to three entries per person, and/or one short story per person with a maximum of 1,200 words.
Details: https://www.icelandicfestival.com/festival-events/contests/poetry-short-story-contest
Boulevard Magazine Poetry Contest for Emerging Poets
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $18 USD per group of 3 poems and $18 USD for each additional group of 3
Deadline: June 8, 2025, at 12:00 am CT
Prize: $1,000 USD and publication
Description: Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but previously accepted or published work is ineligible. The poems may be a sequence or unrelated. All entries will be considered for publication and for payment at their regular rates. Entries will be judged by the editors of Boulevard magazine. The winning poems will be first announced on the website and then published in the following issue of Boulevard.
Details: https://www.boulevardmagazine.org/poetry-contest
The Masters Review Best Emerging Writers 2025
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 8, 2025, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: $700 USD plus online and print publication to each of ten winners
Description: The Masters Review’s long-running anthology series returns for the fourteenth year. If you’re a writer of fiction or creative nonfiction who has not yet published a novel or memoir with a major press, this is the contest for you. Best Emerging Writers 2025 will showcase a collection of prose from ten writers who are on their way to greatness. Selecting this year’s best emerging writers is the terrific Andrew Porter, author of The Disappeared, the forthcoming novel The Imagined Life, and more.
Details:https://mastersreview.com/anthology/
$5,000 Narrative Prize
Genre: Short Story, Novel Excerpt, Poem, One-act Play, Graphic Story, Literary Nonfiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 15, 2025
Prize: $5,000 USD
Description: Awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative. The prize is announced each September and is given to the best work published each year in Narrative by a new or emerging writer, as judged by the magazine’s editors. In some years, the prize may be divided between winners, when more than one work merits the award.
Details: http://www.narrativemagazine.com/great-stories/narrative-prize
Palette Poetry’s Nature Poetry Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 15, 2025
Prize: First prize of $3,000; second prize of $300; third prize of $200; all prizes include publication on Palette Poetry’s website
Description: Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English—other languages are okay to include, as long as the meat of the poem is in English. There is no page requirement, but submission must be no more than 3 poems.
Details: www.palettepoetry.com/current-contest/
Omnidawn 2025 Poetry Chapbook Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $30 USD
Deadline: June 17, 2025, at 3:00 am ET
Prize: $1,000 USD, publication of the winning book, and 20 copies of the winning book
Description: This contest is open to all writers worldwide with no limitations on the amount of poetry a writer has published. Submissions are recommended to be between 40–120 pages, not including front and back matter, with most manuscripts received being between 40-80 pages long.
Details: http://www.omnidawn.com/contest/poetry-contests.htm#book-and-chapbook-contests
FFF Competition Twenty-Three
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: £3.95 per entry via PayPal or Stripe
Deadline: June 23, 2025, at 10:00 pm UK
Prize: Winner prize £150; Highly Commended prize of £50; shortlist prize of £40; all prizes include publication
Description: Submit a flash fiction piece of between 100 and 300 words, on any theme.
Details: https://freeflashfiction.com/current-competition/
Writers’ Trust of Canada Atwood Gibson Fiction Prize
Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 25, 2025, for books published between April 30, 2025, and September 30, 2025
Prize: First prize of $60,000 CAD; finalists will each receive $5,000 CAD
Description: The grand prize will be awarded to the novel or short story collection published between April 30, 2025, and September 30, 2025, that, in the opinion of the jurors, is the year’s best book of fiction. The jurors will shortlist between three and five titles.
Details: https://www.writerstrust.com/awards/atwood-gibson-writers-trust-fiction-prize/
Writers’ Trust of Canada Balsillie Prize for Public Policy
Genre: Nonfiction Books
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 25, 2025
Prize: First prize of $60,000 CAD; three to five finalists will each receive $5,000 CAD
Description: Titles must be published between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. A prize of $60,000 CAD will be awarded annually to a book of nonfiction that advances and influences policy debates on social, political, economic, and/or cultural topics relevant to Canadians. It celebrates work that displays originality in several respects, including subject, approach, analysis, and voice, and which offers a thought-provoking contribution to an issue that impacts on both public consciousness and Canadian policymakers. The winning book combines new insights with a depth and breadth of research. The prize especially values work that brings public policy issues to the general reading public. The jurors will shortlist between three and five titles.
Details: https://www.writerstrust.com/awards/balsillie-prize-for-public-policy/guidelines/
Writers’ Trust of Canada Hilary Weston Prize for Nonfiction
Genre: Nonfiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 25, 2025
Prize: First prize of $75,000 CAD; finalists will each receive $5,000 CAD
Description: The grand prize will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, that, in the opinion of the jury, is the year’s best book of nonfiction. Literary nonfiction includes, among other forms, works of personal or journalistic essays, memoirs, commentary, criticism both social and political, history, and biography. Finalist works will demonstrate a distinctive voice, as well as a persuasive and compelling command of tone, narrative, style, and technique. The overall effect of such writing should provide the general reader with an informed, unique perspective on the issue at hand. The jurors will shortlist between three and five titles.
Details: https://www.writerstrust.com/awards/hilary-weston-writers-trust-prize-for-nonfiction
Dave Greber Freelance Writers Book and Magazine Awards 2025 Competition
Genre: Social Justice Writing
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 27, 2025
Prize: Book award of $5,000 CAD; magazine award of $2,000 CAD
Description: There are two separate awards, the book award and the magazine award. Since the awards can be given before publication and book and magazine publishing timelines can differ, so do the requirements for each award.
Details: https://www.greberwritingaward.com/awards-jury
Frontier Poetry Open 2025
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 29, 2025
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000 USD and publication in Frontier Poetry; ten finalist prizes of $100 USD and publication in Frontier Poetry
Description: In pursuit of recognizing today’s best poets, Frontier Poetry wants to celebrate one outstanding piece of poetry. Open to all poets. The Frontier staff will select the winners and finalists. The winners and honorable mentions will be announced in October 2025. This prize is meant to support and elevate the poetry community on the whole. Frontier Poetry looks forward to offering this annual prize where emerging and established poets are considered in equal measure. No more than three poems per submission. There is no line-limit. Poems may be any length, any style, or any subject.
Details: https://www.frontierpoetry.com/poetry-awards/
Alberta Views Short Story Contest
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $40 CAD per story (includes a one-year subscription to Alberta Views)
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: $1,000 CAD and publication in Alberta Views
Description: Open to all current or former residents of Alberta. Stories must be under 3,000 words and must not have been previously published.
Details: http://albertaviews.ca/short-story-contest/
Blue Lights Book Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $10 USD per chapbook; $20 USD per full-length manuscript
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: $2,000 USD plus publication
Description: The editors of Blue Light Press warmly invite you to submit a manuscript to the Blue Light Poetry Prize and Chapbook Competition. The winner will be published by Blue Light Press.
Details: http://www.bluelightpress.com/contests.php
Brenda Strathern Writing Prize
Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: $5,000 CAD
Description: Applicants must, at the date of application, have lived in Calgary and area for at least 12 months, be at least forty years old, be an unpublished fiction writer, and be working on the completion and publication of their first book of fiction. Submit one piece of complete fiction or excerpt of a longer piece. Only prose is eligible, no poetry, scripts, illustrations, or non-fiction accepted. Only one submission per applicant.
Details: https://calgaryfoundation.org/awards/brenda-strathern-writing-prize/
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: $15,000 USD, publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press, and support in the nation-wide promotion of their book
Description: The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction and makes their work available to readers around the world. The award is open to authors who have published a book-length collection of fiction or at least three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals. Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories, two or more novellas with a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages, or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 pages.
Details: https://upittpress.org/prize/drue-heinz-literature-prize/
Eden Mills Writers’ Festival (EMWF) Read at The Fringe Literary Contest
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 CAD per entry
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: One winner will be selected in each category to win $150 CAD and an invitation to read at the EMWF
Description: The Read at the Fringe Literary Contest is a special opportunity for aspiring writers to share their work with our audience in Eden Mills. The contest is open to Ontario writers who are unpublished in book format. Full details, including word/page limits, can be found on the EMWF website.
Details: https://edenmillswritersfestival.ca/read-at-the-fringe-literary-contest/
Geist 20th Annual Literal Literary Postcard Story Writing Contest
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $25 CAD plus $5 CAD per additional entry (includes a one-year subscription to Geist, international entrants will receive the digital edition)
Deadline: June 30, 2025, at 11:59 PT
Prize: First prize of $500 CAD; second prize of $250 CAD; third prize of $150 CAD
Description: Send in a story and a postcard—the relationship can be as strong or as tangential as you like, so long as there is a clear connection between the story and the image. If you’re not sure where to look for a postcard, you can make your own or visit Wikimedia Commons. The story can be fiction or non-fiction; maximum length is 500 words.
Details: https://www.geist.com/contests/postcard-story-contest
Hidden River Arts Hawk Mountain Short Story Collection Award
Genre: Short Story Collection
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 30, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: $1,000 USD and publication by Hidden River Press
Description: Hidden River Arts offers an award of $1,000 USD and publication by Hidden River Press, an imprint of Hidden River Publishing, for an original collection of short stories. Previous publication of individual stories is acceptable, as long as you include the list of the published stories, the journals and magazines where they appeared, and authorize that the rights have reverted to you, as author.
Details: https://hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com/awards-deadlines-and-guidelines/hawk-mountain-short-story-collection-award/
International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir
Genre: Memoir
Entry Fee: $25 (your local currency) per submission
Deadline: June 30, 2025, at 11:59 ET
Prize: $1,000 CAD, the winner will be interviewed, and the winning story published on Alison Wearing’s website and featured in the Memoir Writing Ink course
Description: The International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir is given to an exceptional work of memoir writing. The annual contest was created in celebration of the life of Amy MacRae and in support of her living legacy to improve the outcomes of women with ovarian cancer. Writers anywhere in the world are invited to enter. Submissions must be no longer than 2,000 words.
Details: https://www.amyaward.com/
Lillian Allen 2025 Prizes
Genre: Spoken Word Poetry
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2025, to nominate a Canadian spoken word poet; July 31, 2025, to submit a nomination for yourself
Prize: $2,000 CAD each for the Lillian Allen Prize and the Lillian Allen Emerging Artist Prize
Description: These prizes alternate between recognizing artists from anywhere in Canada (2025) to recognizing Ontario artists (2026). The prizes are named after Canadian poet and spoken word artist Lillian Allen. Her distinctive approach to poetry through language, music, and social consciousness continues to capture attention and make change. Nominations for the Lillian Allen Prizes are submitted to the League of Canadian Poets, which manages the assessment and selection process.
Details: https://poets.ca/offerings/awards/#allenprize
Poetry London Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: £5 per poem for Poetry London subscribers and £10 per poem for non-subscribers
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: First prize of £5,000; second prize of £2,000; third prize of £1,000; all winners published in Poetry London magazine
Description: The Poetry London Prize is a major, internationally renowned award for a single outstanding poem. The prestigious prize has been won by and helped launch the careers of many acclaimed poets, including Liz Berry, Niall Campbell, Richard Scott, Eleanor Penny, and Romalyn Ante. The competition is open to poets anywhere in the world. Entries must be in English, your own unaided work, and not a translation of another poet. Entries must not have been previously published or self-published, in print or online, or have won a prize in another competition. The maximum length is 80 lines, not including titles or blank lines.
Details: https://poetrylondon.co.uk/opportunities/#the-poetry-london-prize
San Francisco Writers Conference (SFWC) 2025 Writing Contest
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Children’s Books, Poetry
Entry Fee: $35 USD per entry
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: Grand prize of registration to the 2026 San Francisco Writers Conference; four category prizes of a 2026 Summit Registration of their choice or an equivalent discount to the main conference
Description: Entries may have been self-published or not-yet-published but not traditionally published. Entries can be up to 1,500 words in length (or less, but not more) and should be the first 1,500 words of a novel or book, an essay, article, novella, short story, novelette, etc. For poetry entries, you may submit up to three poems at a time in one document, as long as their total combined word count is at 1,500 or less. They will be judged individually.
Details: https://www.sfwriters.org/contests-and-scholarships/2025-writing-contest-overview/
Storyhouse General Nonfiction Contest
Genre: Nonfiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: First prize of $200 USD and automatic entry to the Winners Circle Contest; runner-up prize of $100 USD; all winners receive certificates of recognition suitable for framing
Description: Any appropriate nonfiction topic is eligible. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. So-called “creative nonfiction” will not be considered. Stories must be between 1,000–10,000 words in length. Language in the stories should be free of words or scenes not suitable for children. Stories can be submitted from any country, although they must be written in English. There is a limit of two contest submissions. No story may be entered in more than one contest. Stories entered in any of our previous contests will not be eligible for current year contests.
Details: https://www.storyhouse.org/contest2025.html
Willow Run Poetry Book Award
Genre: Poetry Book
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 30, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: $1,000 USD and publication with Hidden River Press
Description: For unpublished book-length collections of poetry. The editors will judge. Submit a poetry manuscript of approximately 75 to 100 pages.
Details: https://hiddenriverartssubmissions.submittable.com/submit
Wine Country Writers’ 2025 Festival Fiction Short Story Contest
Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: $15 CAD for one entry or $25 CAD for two entries
Deadline: 2025 contest details to be announced
Prize: First prize of $150 CAD and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75 CAD; third prize of $50 CAD; all winning stories will be featured in the Wine Country Writers’ Festival (WCWF) Anthology
Description: Open to all writers over the age of 18. Limited to 2,000 words. Any genre. Works must be fresh and unpublished. If submitting two entries both must be submitted at the same time. Winners will be announced at the Wine Country Writers’ Festival in September.
Details: www.wcwfestival.com
Wine Country Writers’ 2025 Festival Non-Fiction Short Story Contest
Genre: Non-Fiction
Entry Fee: $15 CAD for one entry or $25 CAD for two entries
Deadline: 2025 contest details to be announced
Prize: First prize of $150 CAD and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75 CAD; third prize of $50 CAD; all winning stories will be featured in the Wine Country Writers’ Festival (WCWF) Anthology
Description: Open to all writers over the age of 18. Limited to 2,000 words. Any genre. Works must be fresh and unpublished. If submitting two entries both must be submitted at the same time. Winners will be announced at the Wine Country Writers’ Festival in September.
Details:www.wcwfestival.com
Wine Country Writers’ 2025 Festival Poetry Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $15 CAD for one entry or $25 CAD for two entries
Deadline: 2025 contest details to be announced
Prize: First prize of $150 CAD and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75 CAD; third prize of $50 CAD; all winning stories will be featured in the Wine Country Writers’ Festival (WCWF) Anthology
Description: Open to all writers over the age of 18. Limited to 48 lines. Works must be fresh and unpublished. If submitting two entries both must be submitted at the same time. Winners will be announced at the Wine Country Writers’ Festival in September.
Details: www.wcwfestival.com