Short Story Contest: 2025

Enter your work January 1 - March 15, 2025

Winners will be announced in June 2025

About the Short Story Contest

The winning entry will be the work of fiction, up to 2,500 words in the English language, written by a Canadian author or an author living in Canada, who has not yet published fiction (has not received payment or prize money for works of fiction)

Short Story Contest (for adults)

Adult writers are 19 years and older.

Entry Fee

$25 per entry

Prizes

First Prize: $1,500

Second Prize: $250

Third Prize: $250

Short Story Contest (for Youth)

Youth are up to 19 years of age on or before March 15, 2025

Entry Fee

$10 per entry

Prizes

First Prize: $500

Second Prize: $250

Third Prize: $250

Contest Eligibility

Jury

A regional judging panel will select the top 10 stories within each category.

A celebrity judge will choose the winners.

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Eligible Writers

● Canadian citizens or landed immigrants /refugees and those living in Canada

● Previous winners are ineligible to win again in the same category.

● All writers who have NOT been published professionally

○ Have not received prize money or payment for fiction writing.

○ and who do not have a contract with a book publisher (not include self-published or technical writing).

Eligible Entries

● Short fiction prose: up to and including 2,500 words (title excluded), English language

● Name must not be on the submitted file

● Not previously paid to be published in any format

● Must be writers’ original works

● Multiple submissions welcome – (only one entry per writer is eligible for award)

How to Submit

● Click on the button below to fill out the application form and upload your entry

● Submissions will be accepted online only

● Payment will be made by credit card (Visa, MasterCard)

● Entries must be received by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on March 15, 2025

● Winners will be notified in June