4 awesome writing contests, including one judged by a quick brown fox, and one call for poetry submissions

Esmé Weijun Wang

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Cosmonauts Avenue  is an online, monthly literary journal run by women and non-binary folks dedicated to elevating and amplifying underrepresented voices. Their annual nonfiction Prize is open for submissions.

“What are we looking for? We love writing that is personal, necessary, darkly funny, unfunny, candid, unique, upsetting, untold, and writing that is deeply good and deeply you. The winner will receive $500 and publication in Cosmonauts Avenue.”

Reading fee $12 U.S.

Contest judge: Esmé Weijun Wang is a novelist and essayist. She is the author of the New York Times-bestselling essay collection, The Collected Schizophrenias (2019), for which she won the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize. Her debut novel, The Border of Paradise, was called a Best Book of 2016 by NPR and one of the 25 Best Novels of 2016 by Electric Literature. She was named by Granta as one of the “Best of Young American Novelists” in 2017 and won the Whiting Award in 2018. Born in the Midwest to Taiwanese parents, she lives in San Francisco.

Deadline April 15, 2019. Guidelines here.

Cosmonauts Avenue also accepts regular submissions of short fiction (8,000 words max), flash fiction, poetry, nonfiction, interviews, and comics. Guidelines here.

The South Simcoe Creative Works Writing Contest is accepting poetry and  prose entries from writers of all ages, in all genres.

$1000 in prizes to be won!

Entry fee $5 for children (8–10 and 11–13) $10 for youth (14–17) and $15 for adults.  

Contest judge for adult fiction is rumoured to be Brian Henry, publisher of Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers.

Deadline May 1, 2019. Contest details here.

Dear Brian,

I'm writing on behalf of Vallum: Contemporary Poetry, a Montreal-based literary magazine. Our magazine and contributors have won some of literature's highest honours, including the Pulitzer Prize, Pushcart Prizes, the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Governor General's Award, National Magazine Awards, and more.

I’m writing to let you know about our current call for submissions for our upcoming issue, Vallum 16:2 “Fear.” If you could help spread the word about the call for submissions in your networks, that would be fantastic. All the pertinent info is below:

Call for Submissions – Vallum 16:2 “Fear” 

 It has been said by writers like William Golding that fear is the most destructive of human emotions. It may be a fear of the known or of the unknown, a fear that seems overwhelming and unbeatable. Franklin D. Roosevelt said "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." How is fear represented in poetry, specifically in your poetry? What are we afraid of?

 Send us your best poems! 

 DEADLINE: May 15, 2019. Submission guidelines here.

{Like everyone else} Vallum strongly encourages submissions from LGBTQI2S, Indigenous writers, writers of colour, gender non-conforming writers, differently abled writers or persons with mental or physical challenges, and all who are otherwise affected by structural inequality. Under no circumstances does Vallum tolerate bigoted, violent or sexually abusive content.  

Thanks and all the best,

Rosie Long Decter

Publicist

Vallum Society for Education in Arts and Letters

The CANSCAIP Writing for Children Competition 2019 is open for submissions!

CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers) welcomes entries by unpublished writers for the 22st annual Five writers will each receive $500 for the winning entry of a Picture Book, Early Reader, Chapter Book, Middle Grade, or Young Adult. Two finalists for each of these categories will also be selected. 

All writers receive feedback for their entry. The feedback is generally a few sentences or a short paragraph, and is a unique benefit of entering the Writing for Children Competition. 

Captain Monty Takes the Plunge by Jennifer Mook-Sang,
now published by Kids Can Press, was a contest finalist in 2014

CANSCAIP submits the winners and finalists to publishers Annick Press, Kids Can Press, and Scholastic Canada for their consideration. Some of the previous Writing for Children Competition winners and finalists have had their work published.

ELIGIBLE WRITERS

• Unpublished writers* who have not been professionally published, in any genre or for any age, and who do not currently have a contract for a future book
• Self-published writers whose book has sold fewer than 200 copies  
• Writers must be over the age of 18
• Writers must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents 

*Writers with stories, articles, poems etc. published in anthologies, textbooks, magazines, journals, etc. (publications with content by multiple writers) are eligible.

ELIGIBLE ENTRIES

Fiction or nonfiction, text only, no illustrations 

Maximum 1,500 words of text in English

The Entry fee is $30 for one entry, $50 for two entries, $75 for three entries. 

Deadline: May 31, 2019. Full guidelines here.

The Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association is holding its 34th Annual Poetry Anthology contest for residents of Ontario. Entries must be in English, previously unpublished and not submitted for consideration elsewhere.

Entry fee: $15 for up to three poems and $4 for each additional poem, payable to Canadian Authors Association – Niagara Branch.

Prizes: First place–$300; Second place–$200; Third place–$100

Please indicate where you heard about our contest.

Winning entries and runners-up will be published in the annual anthology, The Banister.

Deadline: May 31, 2019. Full guidelines here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor,  Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.