Ascent Novel Prize

Genre: Fiction Books
Entry Fee: £29
Deadline: November 1, 2026
Prize: First prize of £1,000; every entrant receives access to a free membership area and the top 100 entrants win a personalised paragraph of feedback from industry professionals
Description: International writing competition for unagented writers. Accepting fiction across all genres. Submit your first 3,000 words, a one-line pitch, and synopsis.
Details: https://www.ascentnovelprize.com/

 

CBC 2026 Short Story Prize

Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: $25 CAD
Deadline: November 1, 2026
Prize: First prize of $6,000 CAD, story published on CBC Books and the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity; four finalists will each receive $1,000 CAD and have their story published on CBC Books
Description: Open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. You can submit original, unpublished fiction that is up to 2,500 words. There is no minimum word requirement.
Details: http://www.cbc.ca/books/literaryprizes/cbc-short-story-prize-1.4090935

 

Foster Poetry Prize

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $35 CAD for first entry and $20 CAD or each subsequent entries (includes a one-year subscription to CV2)
Deadline: November 1, 2026
Prize: $1,000 CAD and publication in CV2; three honourable mention cash prizes
Description: Formerly known as the Young Buck Poetry Prize. Participating writers must not yet have published a full-length book of poetry. Open to Canadian and International poets. Your entry may consist of 1-3 poems, and is not to exceed 80 lines total.
Details: http://www.https://contemporaryverse2.ca/foster-poetry-prize/.ca/en/contests/young-buck-poetry-prize

 

The Masters Review Novel Excerpt Contest

Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: November 8, 2026
Prize: First prize of $3,000 USD; second prize of $300 USD; third prize of $200 USD; all prizes include online publication and an hour-long consultation with a literary agent
Description: Each fall, The Masters Review hosts a call for self-contained novel excerpts up to 6,000 words that display a strong voice, compelling characters, and carefully constructed narrative arcs. No limitations on genre but the primary interest is literary fiction.
Details: https://mastersreview.com/novel-excerpt-contest/

 

F(r)iction Writing Contests

Genre: Short Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Speculative fiction
Entry Fee: $10 – $15 USD
Deadline: November 13, 2026
Prize: Short story first prize of $1,000 USD; poetry first prize of $300 USD; flash fiction first prize of $300 USD; additional prizes include professional edits with a member of the F(r)iction senior editorial team and publication either online or in print.
Description: F(r)iction is seeking writing that pushes boundaries and challenges readers to think differently. F(r)iction likes work that features complex characters and strong narratives, and plays with genre, setting, voice, you name it. Short stories word limit is 1,001 – 7,500 words, flash fiction word limit is up to 1,000 words per piece, poetry word limit is up to three pages per poem, and creative nonfiction word limit is up to 6,500 words.
Details: https://frictionlit.org/contests/

 

Anthology Travel Writing Competition

Genre: Travel Writing
Entry Fee: €15
Deadline: November 30, 2026
Prize: €500 cash prize and publication in a future issue of Anthology
Description: Established for writers who like to share authentic travel experiences and to provide a platform for publication. Open to original and previously unpublished travel articles in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Looking for an engaging article that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture. Open to both new and established writers. Articles submitted must not exceed 1,000 words.
Details: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/travel-writing-competition/

 

Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: €7 per poem or €30 for a batch of five
Deadline: November 30, 2026
Prize: First prize of €2,000, a featured reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival with four-night hotel stay (if living outside Cork) and full board, and featured on the Southword Poetry Podcast; second prize of €500; third prize of €250; ten runner-up prizes of €50; all winners receive publication in Southword
Description: The competition is open to original, unpublished poems in the English language of 40 lines or fewer. The poem can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world.
Details: http://munsterlit.ie/Gregory%20ODonoghue%20International%20Poetry%20Competition.html

 

Prairie Fire and McNally Robinson Booksellers Creative Nonfiction Contest

Genre: Essay
Entry Fee: $34 CAD per essay (includes a one-year subscription to Prairie Fire)
Deadline: November 30, 2026
Prize: $1,250, publication in Prairie Fire’s summer issue, and an invitation to THIN AIR produced by the Winnipeg International Writers’ Festival in-person or virtually (this invitation is dependent on funding)
Description: Maximum of 5,000 words. Winning entries are published in Prairie Fire.
Details: https://www.prairiefire.ca/contests/

 

Prairie Fire and McNally Robinson Booksellers Poetry Contest

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $34 CAD for up to three poems per entry (includes a one-year subscription to Prairie Fire)
Deadline: November 30, 2026
Prize: $1,250, publication in Prairie Fire’s summer issue, and an invitation to THIN AIR produced by the Winnipeg International Writers’ Festival in-person or virtually (this invitation is dependent on funding)
Description: Up to 3 poems per entry, with a total maximum of 150 lines per entry. Winning entries are published in Prairie Fire.
Details: https://www.prairiefire.ca/contests/

 

Prairie Fire and McNally Robinson Booksellers Short Fiction Contest

Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: $34 CAD per story (includes a one-year subscription to Prairie Fire)
Deadline: November 30, 2026
Prize: $1,250, publication in Prairie Fire’s summer issue, and an invitation to THIN AIR produced by the Winnipeg International Writers’ Festival in-person or virtually (this invitation is dependent on funding)
Description: Maximum of 5,000 words. Winning entries are published in Prairie Fire.
Details: https://www.prairiefire.ca/contests/

 

Quill (Queer) Prose Award

Genre: Prose
Entry Fee: $10 USD
Deadline: November 30, 2026
Prize: $1,000 USD plus publication of awarded manuscript by Red Hen Press
Description: Founded in 2015 by Tobi Harper of Red Hen Press, Quill seeks to publish quality literature by queer writers. The Quill Prose Award is for a work of previously unpublished prose with a minimum of 150 pages, by a queer writer.
Details: https://redhenpress.submittable.com/submit/59201/quill-queer-prose-award#

 

Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest

Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: $15 USD per entry
Deadline: November 30, 2026
Prize: First prize of $1,000 USD; total value of all prizes is over $15,000 USD
Description: All ages. All genders. All nationalities. All writers welcome. 100 words or less per entry. Any genre. You may submit as many entries as you’d like. This year’s theme is Truth-telling.
Details: https://www.tadpolepress.com/contest

 

*Contests will be updated as 2026 details become available.*

 

Polar Expressions Publishing 2026/2027 National Student Contests

Genre: Poetry, Short Story (Students in Grades Kindergarten – 12)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: 2026 contest details to be announced
Prize: First prize of $300 CAD; second prize of $200 CAD; third prize of $100 CAD; prizes are given in two categories, poetry and short story
Description: Each year Polar Expressions holds two contests, which are open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Over $5,000 is awarded in cash prizes to schools and students who participate. Annual contests held by Polar Expressions Publishing and open to Canadian residents and citizens of all ages. Poems must be 32 lines or less. Short stories must be 450 words or less. They should be fiction or fictionalized (change the names of real characters). No essays, reports, or fanfiction please.
Details: http://www.polarexpressions.ca/StudentContests.html