Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize
Genre: Novels with a ‘green’ theme
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: December 1, 2022
Prize: First prize of £1,000; runner up prize of £500
Description: Organised by the University of Southampton, Green Stories is a ‘free’ writing competition project with a range of categories for novelists and short story writers. Entries should conform with positive visions of more sustainable futures and/or the inclusion of green solutions but needn’t have an explicitly green theme. Typically novels are 60,000 – 95,000 words. Submit three chapters with a minimum of 4,000 words and a maximum 10,000 words.
Details: https://www.greenstories.org.uk/upcoming-competitions/orna-ross-adult-novel-prize/
Briarpatch Magazine’s Writing in the Margins Contest
Genre: Creative Nonfiction, Poetry and Photography
Entry Fee: $25 (includes a one-year subscription to Briarpatch Magazine)
Deadline: December 1, 2022
Prize: One winner from each of three categories will be selected to win first prize of $500 and publication in May/June 2019 issue Briarpatch Magazine; one winner from each of three categories will be selected to win runner-up prizes of $150 and online publication
Description: Briarpatch is accepting submissions of original, unpublished writing and photography for their ninth annual Writing in the Margins contest. The magazine is seeking fresh writing and photography that brings to life issues of political, social, and environmental justice.
Details: https://briarpatchmagazine.com/writinginthemargins
BC and Yukon Book Prizes
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Regional, Children’s and Illustrated Children’s Literature
Entry Fee: $40 per book
Deadline: December 1, 2022
Prize: The winners in each of the eight categories receive a prize of $3,000 plus a certificate
Description: The BC and Yukon Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrates the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers. The submitted book must have a print run of at least 350 copies within its first twelve months of publication. The book must be at least 48 pages long, unless it is a children’s picture book in which case it must be at least 24 pages long. Seven prizes are presented annually at the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Prizes Gala in the spring.
Details: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/how-to-enter/
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Genre: Critical Essay, Dramatic Script, Flash Fiction, Humor, Journalism, Novel Writing, Personal Essay & Memoir, Poetry, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Short Story (Students in Grades 7 – 12, ages 13 and up)
Entry Fee: $5 USD
Deadline: Deadlines vary by region and can be as early as December 1, 2022
Prize: Various scholarship awards, see website for full details
Description: Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 visual arts and literary arts organizations across the country to bring the Scholastic Awards to local communities. Teens in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) apply in 28 categories of art and writing.
Details:https://www.artandwriting.org/awards/
Polar Expressions Publishing 2021 Short Story Contest
Genre: Poetry (Students in Grades Kindergarten – 12)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: December 3, 2022
Prize: First prize of $300; second prize of $200; third prize of $100
Description: Annual contests held by Polar Expressions Publishing and open to Canadian residents and citizens of all ages. Short stories must be 750 words or less.
Details: http://www.polarexpressions.ca/StudentContests.html
Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2023
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: £5 or €6 or $7 USD per poem
Deadline: December 10, 2023
Prize: First prize of £2,000; second prize of £1,000; third prize of £500; plus 20 commendeds
Description: Poems may be submitted from any country & must be in English, must each be no longer than 45 lines, must show title & poem only, must not show poet’s name, must be the original work of the entrant (no translations) and must not have been previously published. No text alterations accepted after submission. No limit on number of poems or number of subsequent submissions.
Details: http://www.coffeehousepoetry.org/prizes
The Joan Betty Stuchner —Oy Vey!— Funniest Children’s Book Award
Genre: Humorous Children’s Books
Entry Fee: $30
Deadline: December 14, 2022
Prize: Two prizes of $752.81 each
Description: The Joan Betty Stuchner Funniest Children’s Book Award will be presented biannually to Canadian authors or illustrators of the work of juvenile literature that had the jury most buckled over with guffaws, incapacitated with giggles, and/or rib-ticklingly, side-splittingly, thigh-slappingly entertained. The two categories consist of 1) A board or picture book, and 2) A book with lots more words than pictures. Eligible works are board books, picture books, chapter books, graphic novels and juvenile fiction and non-fiction, and must be suitable for readers up to grade 7. Entries must be books published between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, created by Canadian authors and/or illustrators permanently residing in Canada and written in English. Please send 3 copies of the work along with a completed submission form to Joan Betty Stuchner – Oy Vey! – Funniest Children’s Book Award, 6637 Emerson Street, Burnaby, BC, V5E 1W5. Please include a $30 Canadian submission fee per title via e-transfer to jbs.oyvey.award@gmail.com (OyVey Award), or PayPal, or a cheque payable to “JBS Oy Vey Award.”
Details: https://www.vclr.ca/jbs-oy-vey-award/
Unleash Press
Genre: Manuscript
Entry Fee: $35
Deadline: December 15, 2023
Prize: $1,000 advance and an optional/standard contract from Unleash Press for one winning manuscript; finalists will be considered for publication
Description: Novels, poetry collections, short story collections, and creative nonfiction manuscripts are accepted. Full-length, completed manuscripts only. The minimum length of a manuscript is 30,000 words for prose or 70 pages for poetry. Genres accepted include fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and experimental/hybrid.
Details: https://unleashpress.submittable.com/submit/247727/2024-book-prize
The Nowhere Fall Travel Writing Prize 2021
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry or Essay
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: December 15, 2022
Prize: $1,000 and publication in Nowhere granted under First North American Serial Rights (FNASR); up to ten finalists also will be published
Description: Nowhere is looking for young, old, novice and veteran writers to send stories that possess a powerful sense of place. Stories can be fiction, nonfiction, poetry or essay, but please indicate which genre at the top of your manuscript.
Details: https://nowheremag.com/contests/
2022 Science Writers and Communicators of Canada (SWCC) Book Awards
Genre: Book Length Science Writing
Entry Fee: $25 per title
Deadline: December 16, 2022, at 4:00 pm ET
Prize: First prize of $1,000 in each of two categories; second prize of $500 to the winner of the Paradigm Prize
Description: For over 20 years, the SWCC has recognized outstanding contributions to science writing with the SWCC Book Awards. The 2022 SWCC competition is now accepting entries in two categories, books for a general audience and books for children and youth. SWCC also offers the Paradigm Prize for Underrepresented Perspectives in Science Writing. Authors must be Canadian citizens or a resident of Canada. Entries can be written in French or English. You do not need to be a member of the SWCC to submit. The results of the competition will be announced in the summer of 2023.
Details: https://sciencewriters.ca/bookawards2022
The Australian Book Review Calibre Essay Prize
Genre: Essay
Entry Fee: $20 AU
Deadline: December 30, 2022
Prize: First prize of $5,000; runner-up prize of $2,500
Description: Australian Book Review welcomes entries to the 2023 Calibre Essay Prize, one of the world’s leading prizes for an original non-fiction essay. The prize is open to all essayists writing in English. Seeking essays of between 2,000 and 5,000 words on any subject. This year, the Calibre Essay Prize is judged by Yves Rees, Peter Rose, and Beejay Silcox.
Details: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/calibre-prize/2023
Danahy Fiction Prize
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $20 USD (includes a one-year subscription to Tampa Review)
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Prize: $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review
Description: The Danahy Fiction Prize is an annual award judged by the editors of Tampa Review, and all entries will be considered for publication. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished short fiction. Manuscripts between 500 and 5,000 words are preferred, but stories falling slightly outside this range will also be considered.
Details: https://tampareview.org/the-danahy-fiction-prize/
The 2022 KOBZAR Book Award
Genre: Literary Non-fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Young Readers’ Literature, Play, Screenplay, Musical
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Prize: $25,000 ($20,000 is awarded to the author and $5,000 to the publisher of the winning title)
Description: Presented biennially, the KOBZAR Book Award recognizes outstanding contributions to Canadian literary arts by authors who write on a topic with a tangible connection to the Ukrainian Canadian experience. The Award fills a very important “niche” in the Canadian and North American book and literary awards scene. It impacts the lives of authors by giving them recognition, and providing resources to enable them to continue their work. It also creates a place for the Ukrainian Canadian experience and its stories. In a world where we are bombarded with information, sound bites, and uncurated content, the KOBZAR™ Book Award carves out an avenue to have a record of the stories and history of Ukrainian culture in Canada.
Details: https://www.kobzarbookaward.com/emerging-author-award/
The Masters Review Chapbook Open for Emerging Writers
Genre: Chapbooks
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Prize: $3,000, print and digital publication, and 50 contributor copies
Description: This year, The Masters Review is holding an open call for chapbooks. They want to publish your collections of flash, your mini novellas, your 40-page short stories, your braided essays, your eclectic brainchildren, your experiments. However, you want to tell your story, they want to read it. Submissions must be between 25-40 double-spaced pages. The submission window will be open for the final four months of the year, and The Masters Review staff will select a small shortlist of favorites to pass along to the final judge.
Details: https://mastersreview.com/chapbook-contest/
Do Wha(TS) Write! Creative Writing Contest
Genre: Flash Fiction, Short Story
Entry Fee: $2 per entry
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Prize: $200
Description: Do Wha(TS) Write is based in Canada but open internationally All contest proceeds are donated to Tourette Canada, a national charity. Contest entries should be flash fiction or short stories, with an absolute word limit of 1,000 words. There is no required prompt or topic. Write whatever you’d like! There is no preferred genre or format of story. Poetry is not permitted.
Details: https://www.dowhatswrite.com/rules
2022 Leacock Medal for Humour
Genre: Book-length Humour
Entry Fee: $200
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Prize: First prize of $25,000; two runner-up prizes of $4,000 each
Description: All entries must have been published in 2021. The major emphasis of each entry must be on humour, but literary merit and insightful comment are also important. A long list of 10 books will be released June 1, 2022, followed by a short list of three books released August 15, 2022. The winner announcement is scheduled for September 17, 2022, at the Gala Dinner.
Details: http://www.leacock.ca/medalaward.php
River Styx 2022 Microfiction Contest
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $15 USD (includes a copy of the issue in which the winning stories will appear) or $20 USD (includes a one-year subscription to River Styx)
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Prize: First prize of $1,000; first, second and third place winners will be published
Description: Judged by the editors of River Styx. 500 words maximum per story, up to three stories per entry fee. Must be previously unpublished in print or online.
Details: http://www.riverstyx.org/submit/microfiction-contest/
Boulevard Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $18 USD per story (includes a one-year subscription to Boulevard)
Deadline: December 31, 2023
Prize: $1,500 USD and publication in Boulevard
Description: Awarded to the winning story by a writer who has not yet published a book of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction with a nationally distributed press. Works up to 8,000 words are accepted.
Details: https://boulevardmagazine.org/short-fiction-contest/
Lives that Make a Difference Essay Contest
Genre: Nonfiction Essay (Students in Grades 5 – 12)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Prize: Grand prize of $3,000 for the winning student plus $1,000 for department/classroom of the Teacher; first prize of $2,000 for the winning student plus $1,000 for department/classroom of the Teacher
Description: Students in 5th–12th grades may enter by writing an essay based on someone they think made the biggest impact on Canadian society in 2020. Prizes are awarded in two grade levels: 5th–8th grade and 9th–12th grade. Two winners will be selected in each level.
Details:https://livesthatmakeadifference.com/