Arc Poetry Magazine Poem of the Year Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $35 for up to two poems (includes a one-year Canadian subscription of Arc Poetry Magazine); $5 per additional poem
Deadline: February 1, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000; honourable mention prize of $500; Readers’ Choice Award of $250
Description: Arc’s Poem of the Year contest started in 1995 and attracts submissions from around the world. Previous winners have included Kayla Czaga, Patricia Young, Shane Neilson, Jacob MacArthur Mooney, Doyali Islam, and many others. Entrants may submit up to two unpublished poems with each $35 fee (extra poems are $5 per poem.) The length of each poem must not exceed 100 lines. All 10 to 12 shortlisted poems receive paid publication in Arc and online.
Details: http://arcpoetry.ca/contests-page/#poty
Flash Fiction Winter Battle
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: February 2, 2023
Prize: $5,000 prize pool split between the 4 winners (one in each genre), publication and feedback
Description: Open internationally. You are given 3 days to write up to 1,000 words, starting February 2, 2023. Cash prize increases as the participant threshold increases: $6,000 at 600 participants, $7,000 at 700 participants, and $8,000 at 800 participants.
Details: https://www.writingbattle.com
Alberta Magazine Awards 2023
Genre: Magazine
Entry Fee: Early Bird fee of $40 per entry; regular fee of $50 per entry; each Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA) voting and affiliate member magazine receive one free entry
Deadline: February 3, 2023
Prize: The program recognizes extraordinary content with 18 written, visual, digital, and integrated Showcase Award categories, 5 Alberta Achievement Award categories, and 3 Out-of-Province Awards
Description: The Alberta Magazine Awards program honours and celebrates the work of magazine makers – the editors, art directors, writers, photographers, illustrators, and other creators – who collectively bring passion and insight to the unique Alberta culture and ensure Alberta voices and stories are shared throughout the province and beyond our borders.
Details: https://albertamagazines.com/awards/
Amazon Canada First Novel Award: Adult Category
Genre: First Novel
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 5, 2023
Prize: First prize of $60,000; five finalist prizes of $6,000 each
Description: Established in 1976, the First Novel Award program has launched the careers of some of Canada’s most beloved novelists. Submissions must be published between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.
Details: https://thewalrus.ca/afna/
Amazon Canada First Novel Award: Youth Short Story Category
Genre: Short Story (Ages 13 – 17)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 5, 2023
Prize: First prize of $5,000; five finalist prizes of $500 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/
Boulevard Magazine Nonfiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Genre: Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $16 per essay
Deadline: February 7, 2023
Prize: $1,000 and publication in Boulevard
Description: $1,000 and publication in Boulevard awarded to the winning essay 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 accepted.
Details: https://www.boulevardmagazine.org/nonfiction-contest
2022 Omnidawn First/Second Poetry Book Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $27 USD
Deadline: February 13, 2023, at 12:00 am PDT
Prize: $3,000 USD
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: http://www.omnidawn.com/contest/poetry-contests.htm#broadside-contest
2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Details: https://indiebookawards.com/
Editors Canada Karen Virag Award
Genre: Editing
Nomination Fee: None
Nomination Deadline: February 24, 2023
Prize: $400 and a commemorative plaque
Description: Nominations for the Karen Virag Award, an award dedicated to recognizing the efforts of editors, are now open. A nominee’s contributions may take on a variety of forms, including one or more of the following: Writing, Public Speaking, Teaching, participation inn broadcast or new media, and sponsoring editing-related activities and community building in Canada and abroad.
Details: http://www.editors.ca/about/awards/karen-virag-award
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
Deadline: February 24, 2023
Prize: Three grand prizes of one $30,000 grant each; nine runner-up prizes of one $10,000 grant each (grants are towards a local Habitat build project)
Description: Write a composition, essay, or poem about what home means to you. When you enter $10 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/
The Writers’ Union of Canada Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $29 per entry
Deadline: February 26, 2023
Prize: First prize of $2,500; winning and finalist entries will be submitted to three Canadian magazines for consideration
Description: The Short Prose 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. Writers who have had no more than one book published (traditionally or self-published) in any genre and who are not currently under contract for a second book. Writers not published in book format are also eligible. Writers must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
Details: http://www.writersunion.ca/short-prose-competition
CBC Nonfiction Prize
Genre: Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $25 (taxes included)
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $6,000, publication of the winning story on CBC Books, and the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point; four finalist prizes of $1,000 each and publication of the winning story on CBC Books
Description: Submit your original, unpublished works of nonfiction up to 2,000 words. There is no minimum. Open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. You can submit memoir, biography, humour writing, essay (including personal essay), travel writing and feature articles.
Details: https://www.cbc.ca/books/literaryprizes/cbc-nonfiction-prize-1.4090951
Fish Flash Fiction Prize
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: €14 (€9 subsequent entries)
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of €1,000; second prize of €300 and an online writing course with Fish; third prize of €300; top ten stories will be published in the Fish Anthology 2023
Description: The Fish Flash Fiction Prize 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
Gotham Writers The Great Gift Contest
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: Free Gotham writing class and the winning entry will be posted at http://gothamwriters.com/
Description: The getting and giving of gifts opens all sorts of emotions. The stress of finding something suitable with the clock ticking away. The joy of receiving something you genuinely love, as opposed to the frozen smile you use to pretend you love the gift. Best of all, perhaps, is seeing a face light up (for real) at the sight of a gift you’ve bestowed. You are invited to write about a gift. Either a great gift you’ve gotten or that you’ve given. If you like, you can even write about a gift you wish for (which you might even show to the people in your life). Keep it to no more than 25 words.
Details: https://v2.writingclasses.com/contests/great-gift-contest
NOWW 25th Annual International Writing Contest
Genre: Poetry, Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Short Crime Fiction, Prose, and Short Crime Fiction
Entry Fee: $10 for non-members; free for NOWW members in good standing
Deadline: February 28, 2023, at 12:00 am ET
Prize: First prize of $150 in each category; second prize of $100 in each category; third prize of $50 in each category
Description: 2023 categories are Poetry, Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Short Crime Fiction, Bill MacDonald Prize for Prose, and Literary Critical Writing. 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, 2023
Prize: $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press
Description: Established in 2018, the Women’s Prose Prize is for previously unpublished, original work 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/
Storyhouse Winners Circle Contest
Genre: Nonfiction (previous Storyhouse contest winners only)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $200; runner-up prize of $100; finalist prizes of certificates of achievement
Description: First prize winners of previous Storyhouse contests, while ineligible for prizes in regular contests, can compete in this one. There is a limit of four contest submissions. Stories must be between 1,000 and 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.
Details: https://www.storyhouse.org/contest2023.html
The Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $40 for up to 3 poems (includes a 1-year Canadian subscription to The New Quarterly); additional poems are $5 each
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: One $1,000 top prize will be awarded for one work of occasional verse; an additional $1,000 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.
Details: https://tnq.ca/product/the-nick-blatchford-occasional-verse-contest/
The Open Minds Quarterly 21st Annual BrainStorm Poetry Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $12 for up to 3 poems
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $250; second prize of $150; third prize of $75; honourable mention prizes of $25; all winners will receive a contributor copy and have their winning poems published in the Spring 2023 issue of Open Minds Quarterly
Description: The contest is open internationally to people with lived experience of madness/mental health challenges/mental illness/neurodivergence. Poetry about the experience of madness is welcomed; however, all subjects are acceptable. Poems are judged on poetic merit: originality, creativity, how well it changed or provoked readers’ thoughts, how well it was written, the effective use of imagery and sound devices, writing mechanics, and whether the poem imparted a sensation after it was read—the last a critical factor in the final round of judging. The original, unpublished work must be 30 lines or less.
Details: https://www.openmindsquarterly.com/2023-poetry-contest/
The WFNB Alfred G. Bailey Prize
Genre: Poetry Manuscript
Entry Fee: $35 for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $40 for non-members
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $350; second prize of $200; 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
The WFNB David Adams Richards Prize
Genre: Fiction Manuscript
Entry Fee: $35 for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $40 for non-members
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $400; second prize of $200; 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
The WFNB Dawn Watson Memorial Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 for non-members
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $200; second prize of $100; 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
The WFNB Douglas Kyle Memorial Prize
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: $20 for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 for non-members
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $250; second prize of $150; 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
The WFNB Jane LeBlanc Screenwriting Award
Genre: Short Film Scripts
Entry Fee: $20 for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 for non-members
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $500; 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
The WFNB Narrative Nonfiction Prize
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction Prose
Entry Fee: $20 for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 for non-members
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $200; second prize of $100; 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
The WFNB Quantiphi Books for Young People Prize
Genre: Short Story or Poetry written for young people (up to age 18)
Entry Fee: $20 for Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) members and $25 for non-members
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $200; second prize of $100; 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
The WFNB Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers
Genre: Short Story or Poetry written by teens age 13 to 18
Entry Fee: $5
Deadline: February 28, 2023
Prize: First prize of $100; second prize of $50; 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