A great majority of writing contests from Canadian literary journals have deadlines during the spring and summer months. Now is the time to start gearing up for the submission season. With a little preparation and a lot of ambition, you could be on the road to publication!
Before you start sending in your stories, though, remember the following:
- Most journals do not accept dual submissions – this means that you cannot submit one story to more than one journal. Writers often gamble with this, based on the assumption that only one journal (of any) will accept any given story, but it can turn into a slippery slope if things work out better than you had planned.
- Most submissions will take a small piece of your pocketbook with them – entry fees range from nothing to thirty or forty dollars. This is where the old phrase “takes money to make money” comes into play. If anything, remember that the entry fee will get you a year-long subscription to the journal!
Now, here’s a brief overview of contest deadlines that are looming, along with the genres they are geared towards and the entry fees they charge.
NOWW’s Annual Writing Contest
- Deadline: March 23, 2009
- Categories: Poetry (3-5 poems), Fiction (2,500-3,500 words), Memoir (1,500-3,000 words), Children’s Story (800-2,000 words), Flash Fiction (500-1000 words)
- Fee: $10
Event
- Deadline: April 15, 2009
- Categories: Non-Fiction (5,000 word limit)
- Fee: $29.95
SubTerrain Literary Awards Competition
- Deadline: May 15, 2009
- Categories: Poetry (15 pages max), Fiction (3,000 word limit), Creative Non-Fiction (4,000 word limit)
- Fee: $25
Antigonish Review’s Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize
- Deadline: May 31, 2009
- Categories: Fiction (word limit not specified)
- Fee: $25
If you’re a young writer, look into the following:
The Claremont Review’s Annual Writing Contest (Ages 13-19)
- Deadline: March 15, 2009
- Categories: Poetry (3 poems max), Fiction (word limit not specified)
- Fee: $18
And for the early birds, one you should be preparing all year for (since you can submit as many times as you’d like):
Prairie Fire Magazine
- Deadline: November 30, 2009
- Categories: Poetry (150 lines max), Fiction (10,000 word limit), Creative Non-Fiction (5,000 word limit)
- Fee: $31
All of these contests have cash awards in addition to, of course, the fact that your work would be published in the literary journal’s next issue. Most journals will notify winners via email; the time line for winner announcements varies greatly, depending on how frequently the journal is published per year.
This year, gather your courage (and a handful of short stories) and get submitting! At worst, you could receive a rejection (or no news at all); at best, you could become a published writer. There’s nothing to lose!
 |
