Arc Poetry Magazine’s Poem of the Year Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $35 CAD for up to two poems, plus $5 CAD per additional poem (includes a one-year subscription to Arc Poetry)
Deadline: February 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000 CAD; honourable mention prize of $500 CAD; Readers’ Choice Award of $250 CAD; 10 to 12 shortlisted poems receive paid publication in Arc and online
Description: Arc’s Poem of the Year contest started in 1995 and attracts submissions from around the world. The length of each poem must not exceed 100 lines.
Details: https://arcpoetry.ca/contest/poem-of-the-year/
The Masters Review Winter Short Story Award for New Writers
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: February 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: First prize of $3,000 USD; second prize of $300 USD; third prize of $200 USD; all prizes include online publication and agency review
Description: Welcoming submissions of previously unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words. This contest is for emerging writers only. Writers with single-author book-length work published or under contract with a major press are ineligible.
Details: https://mastersreview.com/winter-short-story-award-for-new-writers/
The Australian Book Review (ABR) Calibre Essay Prize
Genre: Essay
Entry Fee: $20 AU for ABR subscribers and $30 AU for non subscribers
Deadline: February 2, 2026, at 11:59 pm AEST
Prize: Total prize money of $10,000 AU
Description: 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 André Dao, Kate Fullagar, and Diane Stubbings.
Details: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/calibre-prize/calibre-online-entry
Writing Battle Winter Flash Fiction Contest
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: February 3, 2026, at 10:00 pm ET
Prize: $10,000 USD cash prize pool split between winners, publication, and feedback
Description: Open internationally. You are given 3 days to write up to 1,000 words.
Details: https://www.writingbattle.com
Amazon Canada 2026 First Novel Award: Adult Category
Genre: First Novel
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 8, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: First prize of $60,000 CAD; five finalist prizes of $6,000 CAD each
Description: Established in 1976, the First Novel Award program has launched the careers of some of Canada’s most beloved novelists. Eligible novels must be published between February 9, and March 31, 2026.
Details: https://thewalrus.ca/afna/
Amazon Canada 2026 First Novel Award: Youth Short Story Category
Genre: Short Story (Ages 13 – 17)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 8, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: First prize of $5,000 CAD; five finalist prizes of $500 CAD each
Description: The youth short story category invites authors between the ages of 13 and 17 to submit a short story under 3,000 words.
Details: https://thewalrus.ca/amazon-first-novel-award-youth/
WFNB Alfred G. Bailey Prize
Genre: Poetry Manuscript
Entry Fee: $35 CAD for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $40 CAD for non-members
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $350 CAD; second prize of $200 CAD; third prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions need to be 48 to 96 pages. Individual poems can be previously published, but the manuscript must be unpublished.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321224
WFNB David Adams Richards Prize
Genre: Fiction Manuscript
Entry Fee: $35 CAD for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $40 CAD for non-members
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $400 CAD; second prize of $200 CAD; third prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions are for a story collection, novella, or novel extract between 15,000 to 30,000 words. Individual stories can be previously published, but a novella or novel extract must be unpublished.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321026
WFNB Dawn Watson Memorial Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 CAD for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 CAD for non-members
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $200 CAD; second prize of $100 CAD; third prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions are for single poems up to 100 lines.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321225
WFNB Douglas Kyle Memorial Prize
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: $20 CAD for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 CAD for non-members
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $250 CAD; second prize of $150 CAD; third prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions are for a single story between 2,000 to 4,000 words.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321192
WFNB Jane LeBlanc Screenwriting Award
Genre: Short Film Scripts
Entry Fee: $20 CAD for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 CAD for non-members
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $500 CAD; second prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions are for short film scripts up to 15 minutes in length and must have been written within the last two years. Both unproduced or produced are accepted.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321292
WFNB Narrative Nonfiction Prize
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction Prose
Entry Fee: $20 CAD for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 CAD for non-members
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $200 CAD; second prize of $100 CAD; third prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions need to be between 1,500 and 3,000 words.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321291
WFNB Quantiphi Books for Young People Prize
Genre: Short Story or Poetry written for young people (up to age 18)
Entry Fee: $20 CAD for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 CAD for non-members
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $200 CAD; second prize of $100 CAD; third prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions are for short stories or poems written for young people (up to age 18). Maximum of up to 4,500 words.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321257
WFNB Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers
Genre: Short Story or Poetry written by teens age 13 to 18
Entry Fee: $5 CAD
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: First prize of $100 CAD; second prize of $50 CAD; third prize of a one-year WFNB membership
Description: Open to New Brunswick residents and/or members only. You must reside in New Brunswick, or be a WFNB member if you live outside NB. Submissions are for a short story or a poem written by teens age 13 to 18. Maximum of up to 4,000 words for short stories and up to 100 lines for poetry.
Details: https://wfnb.ca/Sys/Store/Products/321290
Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition 2026
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Prize: An Arvon Residential Writing Week (worth £850) and website publication
Description: To enter, submit a short story (for adults) of no more than 2,000 words on the theme of ‘risk’ via the online competition form, and ensure that you have a (free) account through the website. No purchase necessary, but entrants must be registered on https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/.
Details: https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/competitions/writers-artists-short-story-competition-2026
Manitoba Writers’ Guild Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $20 CAD per entry
Deadline: February 15, 2026, at 12:00 midnight CT
Prize: First prize of $1,000 CAD and a three-year complimentary membership; second prize of $600 CAD and a two-year complimentary membership; third prize of $400 CAD and a one-year complimentary membership
Description: Open to writers across Canada who are 18 years of age or older. 2,500 – 5,000 words in any fiction genre. The three prize winners plus up to four honourable mentions will be published in an eBook anthology by the Manitoba Writers’ Guild.
Details: https://mbwriters.ca/programs/short-story-competition/
Omnidawn 2026 1st/2nd Book Poetry Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $27 USD
Deadline: February 16, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: $3,000 USD and publication and 20 copies of the winning book by Omnidawn with a full color cover
Description: This contest is open to writers worldwide who have either never published a full-length book of poetry, or who have published only one full-length book of poetry, so that the winning book would become a poet’s first or second published full-length book of poetry. Submissions are recommended to be between 40–120 pages, not including front and back matter, with most manuscripts received being between 40-70 pages long.
Details: https://www.omnidawn.com/contests/omnidawn-poetry-contests/
Writers’ Union of Canada Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $29 CAD per entry
Deadline: February 16, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: First prize of $2,500 CAD; the winning entry and 11 finalist entries will be submitted to 3 Canadian magazines for consideration and receive feedback on their submissions
Description: This competition for emerging writers aims to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of short prose in order to provide opportunity and exposure to developing writers. Original, unpublished fiction or nonfiction up to 2,500 words in the English language.
Details: http://www.writersunion.ca/short-prose-competition
Habitat for Humanity’s Meaning of Home National Writing Contest
Genre: Essay or Poetry (Students only in Grade 4, 5 and 6)
Entry Fee: $10 CAD
Deadline: February 20, 2026
Prize: Three grand prizes of one $30,000 CAD grant each; nine runner-up prizes of one $10,000 CAD grant each (grants are towards a local Habitat build project)
Description: Write a composition, essay, or poem about what home means to you. Your $10 CAD entry fee will be donated by Genworth Canada to your local Habitat for Humanity. Each grade will have a grand prize winner and three runners-up.
Details: https://habitathm.ca/moh/
Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition
Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 24, 2026, at 11:59 PT
Prize: First prize of $60 USD Amazon gift card; second prize of $40 USD Amazon gift card; third prize of $20 USD Amazon gift card; all winners will have their writing published on the FSF’s global platform
Description: The Future Scholar Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit organization founded in Redmond, Washington. They have impacted over 6,100 elementary and middle students in over 35 countries through their writing competitions, workshops, and coaching programs, and have been supported by New York Times staff, The Seattle Times, NorthwestAsian Weekly, and more. Submit your story now to win gift cards, publish your story on a global stage, and receive FREE feedback!
Details: https://www.futurescholarfoundation.org/shortstorydesktop
Toronto Star 2026 Short Story Contest
Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 25, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: First prize of $5,000 CAD and the tuition fee for one of two programs at the Humber School for Writers; second prize of $2,000 CAD; third prize of $1,000 CAD
Description: The contest is open to all Ontario residents 16 years of age or older. Entrants can write on any topic they want. Stories must be original, previously unpublished and no longer than 2,500 words. Entries are limited to one for each person.
Details: https://www.thestar.com/contests/2026-toronto-star-short-story-contest-information/article_6faece27-ac47-4f90-8894-18a1fb6eea85.html
Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2026
Genre: Published Books
Entry Fee: $75 CAD per title for the first category entered; $60 CAD for each additional category entered
Deadline: February 26, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: Best Fiction Book prize of $1,500 CAD; second Best Fiction Book prize of $750 CAD; third Best Fiction Book prize of $500 CAD; Best Nonfiction Book prize of $1,500 CAD; second Best Nonfiction Book prize of $750 CAD; third Best Nonfiction Book prize of $500 CAD; $100 CAD and a gold medal awarded to the winner of each of the 80+ categories
Description: Presented by Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest international awards program open to indie authors and independent publishers worldwide who have a book written in English. The Indie Book Awards offers more than 80 categories to enter books that are published in 2023, 2024, or 2025, or have a 2023, 2024, or 2025 copyright date.
Details: https://indiebookawards.com/
Fish Flash Fiction Prize
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: €14 for first entry plus €9 for each subsequent entry
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Prize: First prize of €1,000; second prize of €300 and an online writing course; third prize of €300; top ten stories will be published in the Fish Anthology 2026
Description: This contest is an opportunity to attempt one of the most interesting and rewarding tasks—to create, in a tiny fragment, a completely resolved and compelling story in 300 words or less.
Details: http://www.fishpublishing.com/competition/flash-fiction-contest/#rules
Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $40 CAD for up to 3 poems plus $5 CAD per additional poems (includes a 1-year subscription to The New Quarterly)
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Prize: First prize of $1,000 CAD; an additional $1,000 CAD will be distributed at the judges fancy
Description: Sponsored by former The New Quarterly editor Kim Jernigan and family in celebration of her father, Nick Blatchford, the man who sparked the family’s love of poetry. This contest is for poems written in response to an existing occasion, personal or public, or poems that make an occasion of something ordinary or by virtue of the poet’s attention. No word limit.
Details: https://tnq.ca/contests/
NOWW 28th Annual International Writing Contest
Genre: Poetry, Short Fiction, Creative Review, Prose (Nonfiction)
Entry Fee: $10 CAD for non-members; free for NOWW members in good standing
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Prize: First prize of $125 CAD in each category; second prize of $75 CAD in each category; third prize of $50 CAD in each category
Description: 2026 categories are Critical Writing (Reviews), Poetry, Short Fiction, and the Bill MacDonald Prize for Prose (Nonfiction). This contest is open to individuals (Canadian and international) age 18 and over. Entries must be original and unpublished. Two entries may be made per category. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
Details: https://www.nowwwriters.ca/
Red Hen Press Women’s Prose Prize
Genre: Prose
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Prize: $1,000 USD and publication by Red Hen Press
Description: Established in 2018, this prize is for previously unpublished, original works of prose. Novels, short story collections, memoirs, essay collections, and all other forms of prose writing are eligible for consideration. The awarded manuscript is selected through an annual competition which is open to all writers who identify as women. The minimum word count is 25,000 and the maximum is 80,000.
Details: https://redhen.org/awards-2/womens-prose-prize/s
Storyhouse Winners Circle Contest
Genre: Nonfiction (previous Storyhouse contest winners only)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Prize: First prize of $200 USD; runner-up prize of $100 USD; finalist prizes of certificates of achievement
Description: This contest is only open to first prize winners of previous Storyhouse contests. While ineligible for prizes in regular contests, previous winners can compete in this one. This gives newer writers a better chance of winning one of the open contests. Stories may be on any nonfiction subject. There is a limit of four contest submissions.
Details: https://www.storyhouse.org/contest2026.html
Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: £15
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Prize: First prize of £1,000; two runners-up prizes of £500 each
Description: Annual international prize for a short piece of stand-alone prose that explores adventure in its broadest sense. Open to emerging writers aged 25 and over, the prize welcomes stand-alone prose in either Fiction or Non-Fiction of 1,500 – 3,000 words.
Details: https://www.tomgrassprize.com/