Short story contest with $5,000 in prizes, plus Dentist stories, mind-stretching prose and poetry, and true stories wanted

Image by Matt Walford

Empty Sink Publishing is looking for prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and visual media submissions that “stretch the mind, defy convention, and offer a new perspective on life.”

Deadline: October 14, 2013. But submissions received after Oct 14 will be considered for the next issue. Submission guidelines here.

Your McMurray Magazine and Northword, the literary journal of Canada’s north, present a short story competition with seriously big prizes.

How big? Well, third prize is $500, Second Prize is $1,500 (Yes that’s right, that’s only the Second Prize), and First Place is $3,000.

Whether you are a Canadian living in Canada, a Canadian living anywhere else or even a non-Canadian who lives in Canada eh, you qualify to enter.

Length: between 800 and 2,500 words.

Age Restrictions: Somewhere between life and death.

Deadline: Midnight Mountain time, the October 31, 2013, (2 a.m. on the November 1 for all you Ontarians.).

Topic: Aha, here’s the fun part. There is no real topic; but, there are two conditions. As a salute to the Fort McMurray region, the word “oil” must appear in the story at least once, and there has to be something criminal in the tale.

Why: Because we said so, and because the best stories always have a conflict in them.

What’s in it for me the author? Apart from the chance to win money, the winner will be published in YMM and the other prize winners will be submitted for publication in Northword magazine. In addition, if there are enough good entries – and we fully expect there will be – we will present a collection of short stories for public consumption in e-book form and maybe even on real paper as well. And, you’ll get advance notice of the 2014 competition.  (We’ll tell you the day before we tell everyone else).

Writers are allowed to submit up to three entries each. Each entry will cost $10, although there is a special $25 for three discount. (The fee is to cover administrative and photocopying). 

Full contest rules here.

New online dental magazine Dentists on the Frontier (Canada) seeks short, pithy, provocative and even happy stories of dentists and dental procedures from practitioners and patients of dentistry. Filed under the title “Writing Home Again,” stories should be in the form of an anonymous open letter (Dear Dentist or Dear Patient). Accepting nonfiction and creative nonfiction only. Length: 600 words max.

Deadline: ongoing. Guidelines here. 

Tell Us a Story posts one new true story every Wednesday. All submissions must be be based on something that actually happened. Length: 2,000 words max. Also interested in flash [non]fiction, experimental stories, poems, and plays.

Deadline: rolling. Guidelines here. 

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Bolton, Caledon, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.