Submissions open March 14 and close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 9, 2022.
Rules
We’re accepting all forms of poetry for this contest, including lyrical, formal, free verse, visual, experimental, concrete, haiku and other micro poetic forms, and spoken word, etc. Poetry submissions will be judged by Terese Mason Pierre (for more about our judge, please see below).
For spoken word entries, please submit an audio file (mp3) along with a written (typed) version of the poem. As with all submissions, spoken word poems should be 50 lines or less. The total length of the recording of each poem should be under two minutes. Spoken word submissions can include up to two poems per entry.
Submit up to two poems per $10 entry fee. Each author may enter the contest twice, for a total of four poems (or two poems and one flash fiction story) and $20.
Entries should be typed in either 11 pt. Arial or Calibri or 12 pt. font Times New Roman.
Poems should be no more than 50 lines, including line breaks (but not including the title).
No previously published work! Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please let us know as soon as possible if your poem(s) have been accepted elsewhere.
All entries will be read blind, so please do not include identifying information such as your name or email on your poem.
Submissions containing harmful stereotypes and perspectives including: racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, islamophobia, xenophobia, antisemitism or ableism, or any other discriminatory content, will be disqualified.
Send your poem(s) as an attachment (MS Word document or PDF) by email to caaTOcontest@gmail.com with your last name and the words POETRY CONTEST in the subject line. In the body of the email include your name, address, telephone number and email address. Also include a short, third-person bio (75 words or less).
Open to Canadian citizens and residents only.
Entry fees are payable by e-transfer to caaTOcontest@gmail.com or via PayPal (use the PayPal button on this site or use paypal.me/CAAToronto).
Winners will be announced in June, 2022. Cash prizes for first ($200), second ($100), and third-place poem ($50) will be awarded. Winners will be contacted and provided with e-transfer payment details. The winning poems will be published on our website, which will allow the poet to have bragging rights as the inaugural winners of our contest!
Terese Mason Pierre is writer and editor whose work has appeared in Hobart, The Puritan, Quill & Quire and Strange Horizons, among others. Her work has been nominated for the Ignyte Award, the Rhysling Award, and Best of the Net. She is the co-Editor-in-Chief of Augur Magazine, a Canadian speculative literature journal. Terese has also co-hosted poetry reading series, organized literary events, and facilitated creative writing workshops. She is the author of the chapbooks, Surface Area (Anstruther Press, 2019) and Manifest (Gap Riot Press, 2020). Terese lives and works in Toronto, Canada. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.