The Surrey International Writers' Conference Writing Contest

The SiWC Writing Contest is held each year, culminating with the awards ceremony during the conference. The contest features blind judging in three categories:

• SiWC Storyteller's Award for short stories, 3,500 to 5,000 words
• SiWC Non-fiction Award, maximum length 1,500 words
• SiWC Poetry Award, one poem per submission, max 40 lines

Prizes for each category: 1st Place $1,000 and anthology; Honourable Mention(s) $150 each. And the winning entries are sold as an anthology during the conference.

The Surrey International Writers' Conference Writing Contest is open to all writers 18 years and older. Young writers can submit to Surrey Public Library's Young Writers' Contest. All submissions must contain original material, and may not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or have been a winner in another contest prior to the September 9th deadline.

Entry fee: $15 per submission.

Deadline: All entries must be postmarked by 4 p.m., Friday, September 9, 2011.

Full contest rules here. This year, the Surrey International Writers' Conference runs Oct 21 – 23 in Surrey, B.C.  Home page here.

To keep up to date with all the annual writing contests in Canada, get the 2011 Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar – now just $13 including tax and shipping (or $10 at any of Brian Henry's workshops or classes). To order your copy, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca  More details here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph, Orangeville, Barrie, Woodstock, London, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.