NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (NCR)

Bi-Weekly Notices for the two weeks: FEB. 23 to March 8, 2015

17 ITEMS, 9 NEW

NOTICE TO ALL READERS: Please send all submissions & event notices to Carol Stephen at cstephen0@gmail.com #Find writing-related services offered by our members at our CAA-NCR website http://www.canauthors-ottawa.org/hire-a-member.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS

ITEM 1: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS TO CAA-NCR’s BYLINE MAGAZINE    If you have an article of interest to writers contact the Editor, Sharyn Heagle, at sharyn_40@yahoo.com. Member promotional material is included in Byline at no cost. Contact the Editor, Sharyn Heagle for details Sharyn_40@yahoo.com

CAA-NCR Byline Submission Guidelines

Writing-related articles that include information about the process, profession or business of writing, or insights into the writer’s world.

Byline pays 2-1/2 cents per word to a maximum of $25 on publication (minimum, $10); poetry $10 each; photos $5 each. Contact Editor (sharyn_40@yahoo.com) prior to submitting

Deadlines: For non-solicited material, two months prior to publication. Issues published January, March, May, Summer, September, November.

Submission guidelines: English with Canadian spelling. In MS Word or OpenOffice as an attachment. Photos in jpeg, largest available resolution.

Font: Times New Roman 12 point, single space. No formatting, no indents; one extra return between paragraphs. Length: Preferably between 600 – 1200 words.

 ITEM 2: CAA-NCR MONTHLY MEETING FOR MARCH                                   NEW!

DATE: TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015 TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 pm

LOCATION: McNabb Recreation Centre, 180 Percy St. east of Bronson Ave.

PRESENTER: Lynn Jatania, Turtlehead Blog

TOPIC: Blogging Pros & Cons – maintaining privacy

The presentation will examine how to set up a blog, and the pros and cons of blogging. As well, Lynn will discuss how to balance revealing parts of your life while maintaining a level of privacy.

CAA-NCR MEMBERS NEWS

 ITEM 3: CAA-NCR MEMBER KELLY BUELL EDITING SERVICES AVAILABLE  

Professional writer available for editing, manuscript critique, and contracts for smaller assignments. I have a diploma in Journalism-Print and I am expecting my Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing this summer. I have been published since 1997. Please send enquiries to kbuell@live.com and put the word writer somewhere in the subject line.

ITEM 4: CAA-NCR MEMBER EMILY-JANE HILLS ORFORD GUEST SPEAKER AT A WOMAN’S AURA                                                                                                      NEW!

Join Sigma Beta Phi Sorority at their special luncheon to recognize International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8th 2015 at the Ottawa City Hall room Jean Pigott! (110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1) The event will commence at 11:00 a.m. and conclude at 2:00 p.m. This delightful event will include a delicious brunch, a guest speaker and performances.
 

ITEM 5: CAA MEMBER, EMILY-JANE HILLS ORFORD WORKSHOPS        

Great programs for creative young minds. Especially the creative writing programs – fiction writing and novel writing, with Emily-Jane Hills Orford. Check out ABC Saturday Take-off’s Spring programs: http://www.abcontario.ca/chapters/ottawa/51-take-off

 ABC Ottawa Take-off Saturday Morning Enrichment Workshops for Kids Ages 6-14

 The ABC Take-off program, hosted by the ABC Ottawa, provides challenging extracurricular educational opportunities for bright and gifted students, ranging in age from 6 – 14 years on. The next session is…

Spring 2015 ABC Ottawa Take-off
March 28 – May 9, 2015, no classes on April 4 St. Paul’s High School

Registration will begin on Registration Night March 5, 7:30pm, Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre

The 90 minute workshops take place in the morning from 9 AM – 10:30 AM or from 11 AM 12:30 PM. Some exceptions to this time apply, if so, it is noted in the course description. All courses take place at St. Paul’s High School, 2675 Draper Ave., Ottawa

 Early Registration: The first opportunity to register for ABC Take-off will be at the ABC Adult Meeting at 7:30 PM on Thursday, March 5 at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, 102 Greenview Ave., off Pinecrest and Carling Ave.

 Continuing Registration: After March 5, registrations are accepted by mail, provided that they are accompanied by cheque or money order payment in full. Where to Mail Registrations: ABC Take-off Program Manager, 869 Acadian Garden, Orleans, Ontario K1C 2V7

Registrations are first-come, first-served.Register Early to Avoid Disappointment! Many courses are filled quickly. If a course has not reached its minimum enrolment 10 days before Take-off, the course may not be offered. Registering after March 5 -check www.abcontario.ca/ottawa for available courses

Please note, there is no on-line or phone registration/reservation, and spaces are not reserved. After registration night, registrations are received by mail. Registrations are only accepted when received with payment in full – by cash or cheque only.

 CAA NEWS FROM OUR OTHER BRANCHES

ITEM 4: THE SAVING BANNISTER 30TH ANNUAL POETRY CONTEST       

English: Niagara Falls, the American Falls, taken from the Canadian side. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 The Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association is holding its 30th Annual Poetry Anthology contest for residents of Ontario. Entries must be in English, previously unpublished and not submitted for consideration elsewhere. Number of entries is unlimited, but no more than six poems from one poet will be included in the anthology.

Deadline: May 31, 2015

Entry fee: $15 for up to three poems and $4 for each additional poem

Prize: 1st prize: $200; 2nd prize: $100; 3rd prize $50

Details: www.canauthorsniagara.org/poetry-contest/ 

ITEM 5: CAA MEMBER DEBORAH RANCHUK ANNOUNCES CONTEST CALENDAR                                                                                                                                     NEW!
The Canadian Writers Contest Calendar 2015 has been released in both print and ebook formats. This edition includes Canadian writing contests and book awards from Jan 1, 2015 through Dec 31, 2015. Full information, link to this year’s index and ordering information at: http://www.wmpub.ca/cwcc-2015.htm

Thank you for your support. Please note our new address.
Deborah Ranchuk

Cobalt, Ontario, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

White Mountain Publications www.wmpub.ca home to the annual The Canadian Writers’ Contest Calendar www.wmpub.ca/cwcc.htm
New home of E-Book versions of many of our titles.
Box 620, 50 Silver Street
Cobalt, ON P0J 1C0
Canada-wide Toll-free 1-800-258-5451 Phone: (705) 679-5555 Fax: (705) 679-5777

CAA NEWS FROM NATIONAL

ITEM 6: CANWRITE 2015 UPDATE – SAVE THE DATE!                                 

English: Waterfront of Orillia, Ontario, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CanWrite! 2015 writers’ conference is scheduled for June 11 to 14, 2015, once again at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus. (Registration opens early March.) We have a stellar program lined up, with the following guests confirmed:

• Agent Panel: Carly Watters (P.S. Literary Agency); Martha Magor Webb (Anne McDermid & Associates).
• Publisher Panel: Craig Pyette (Senior Editor, Penguin Random House Canada); Patricia Ocampo (Managing Editor, Simon & Shuster); Hazel Millar (Managing Editor, Book Thug)
• Master Class: Anthony De Sa
• Pitch Sessions: All the agents and publishers listed in the Agent and Publisher Panels above
• Interactive Workshops: Anthony De Sa (Marketing and Self-Promotion); Robert Sawyer (Science Fiction); Craig Pyette (Getting Published); Renée Sarojini Saklikar – winner of 2014 CAA Poetry Award (Poetry); Ashley Dunn – Publicity Manager at Random House (Publicity with Purpose); Sue Reynolds (Memoir Writing)
• Writing Circles: Esther Griffin, Sue Reynolds, Ruth Walker, James Dewer

OTHER WORKSHOPS

ITEM 7: SAGE HILL SPRING POETRY COLLOQUIUM: May 15 – 28, 2015 NEW!

with Don McKay    

Application fee: $50

Cost for meals, accommodation, and instruction: $1495

This is a facilitated retreat for eight poets who have a publication record of at least one book of poetry or the equivalent in periodicals and are working towards manuscript completion. The colloquium offers a small group context. Focus will be on individual manuscript consultations and on seminar discussions dealing with technical, philosophical, or conceptual issues in contemporary poetry. There will be writing time, but please note that group participation is required. Instruction occurs within a deep-immersion over a relaxed 14 days with an emphasis on individual writing and manuscript revision. Application is limited to writers 19 years of age and older from Canada and abroad. Application Deadline March 6th, 2015

Information on tuition, scholarships, and bursaries.

McKay is the author of twelve books of poetry, including Long Sault (1975), Lependu (1978), Apparatus (1997), and Paradoxies (2012). He has twice won the Governor General’s Award, for Night Field (1991) and Another Gravity (2000). In June 2007, he won the Griffin Poetry Prize for Strike/Slip (2006).

Born in 1942 in Owen Sound, Ontario, McKay has spent the majority of his adult life as an editor, poet, and educator (teaching creative writing and English for over 27 years). As an avid birdwatcher, McKay is attune to finding beauty through patience. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McKay

SUBMISSION CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

ITEM 8: BYWORDS.CA SUBMISSION CALL                

DEADLINE: The 15^th of every month for the following month’s issue

Bywords.ca considers previously unpublished poetry from emerging and established poets for our online monthly magazine. We consider work by current and former residents, students and workers of Ottawa. We also publish poems by contributors to our predecessor, the Bywords Monthly Magazine. FOR SUBMISSION INFORMATION VISIT www.bywords.ca and click on Guidelines. Amanda Earl, Managing Editor. Check out Bywords.ca’s literary events calendar here: http://www.bywords.ca/calendar/index.php with up-to-date info on NCR readings, book signings, writers’ circles, literary festivals, spoken word showcases & slams. Event submissions can be sent to events@bywords.ca

ITEM 9: ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS & SCIENCES FELLOWSHIPS

Applications for the prestigious and lucrative Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting are now open for 2015.

This international screenwriting competition awards up to five fellowships of US$35,000 each year. Since 1986, 137 fellowships totaling $3,740,000 have been awarded.

Who Can Enter
The competition is open to writers based anywhere in the world, regardless of citizenship. All entrants must be aged over 18. Entry scripts must be the original work of one writer, or of two writers who collaborated equally, and must be written originally in English. Translated scripts are not eligible.

The fellowships are intended for new and/or amateur screenwriters. In order to be eligible, an entrant’s total earnings for motion picture and television writing may not exceed US$25,000 before the end of the competition.

It is a requirement that all fellowship winners complete at least one new feature screenplay in the year of their fellowship (the Academy acquires no rights to the work and will not participate in its marketing or in any other aspects of its commercial future).

The Prizes
Up to five $35,000 fellowships are awarded each year to promising new screenwriters.

In addition to the cash prize, winners of the Nicholl Fellowships will be invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars in November. The successful applications are also expected to receive many networking opportunities to help complete their next script.

How to Enter
Applicants must submit an original feature film screenplay. This screenplay may be no shorter than 70 pages and no longer than 160 pages. The shortest script to earn its writer an Academy Nicholl Fellowship was 80 pages long; the longest was 153 pages.

Screenwriters may enter the 2015 competition up to three times; an entry fee is payable for each separate screenplay. If the script is based on a true story/events, historical or contemporary, the ‘based on true story’ button should be selected within the online application form. Adaptations of any work (other than your own) are not eligible.

DEADLINES:
Early Deadline – March 2 – $40 entry fee
Regular Deadline – April 10 – $55 entry fee
Late and Final Deadline – May 1 – $75 entry fee

MORE INFO: https://nicholl.oscars.org/

IN THE INTEREST OF WRITERS HELPING WRITERS

ITEM 10: TREE READING SERIES PRESENTS AMANDA JERNIGAN +
CARLA HARTSFIELD                                                                                               NEW!

 DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015

LOCATION: BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS, 1073 BANK ST. OTTAWA

6:45 p.m. WORKSHOP: Poetry as Storyteling: from Sexton, to Suknaski to Clarke to You, Anita Dolman will take us through a brief overview of poetry as a storytelling device. The workshop will highlight some of the techniques and approaches used in narrative poetry throughout its evolution, with a particular focus on 20th-century and contemporary poetry. Participants are invited to bring an example or excerpt of a narrative poem, either their own or another poet’s, for discussion.

8:00 p.m. OPEN MIC & FEATURED READERS

Amanda Jernigan is the author of two books of poems, Groundwork (Biblioasis, 2011) and All the Daylight Hours (Cormorant, 2013), as well as of the prose work Living in the Orchard: The Poetry of Peter Sanger (Frog Hollow, 2014). Her first book was shortlisted for the Pat Lowther Award and named to National Public Radio’s list of ‘Best Books’ of the year; her second was named to Michael Lista’s ‘best poetry’ list for 2013 (National Post). Amanda edited The Essential Richard Outram for Porcupine’s Quill in 2011; she is currently at work on a scholarly edition of Outram’s collected poems. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with her family.

 Carla Hartsfield is a classically trained pianist, singer-songwriter, guitar player and poet. She has published three major poetry collections, the most recent being YOUR LAST DAY ON EARTH (Brick Books), which was long-listed for the BC ReLit award. Current projects include completion of a fourth poetry collection with working title HEART BRAKE. Carla has published two chapbooks with LyricalMyrical Press and Rubicon Press, respectively. Her original drawings and watercolours have graced the last three collections. Carla is in the process of recording a full-length CD called BY THE TIME under her new label COURT THE CLOUDS™. She is also the recipient of a grant from the Writers’ Trust of Canada in May 2014 to complete HEART BRAKE.

More info at: http://www.treereadingseries.ca/

ITEM 11: OTTAWA INDEPENDENT WRITERS’ FEBRUARY MEETING                    NEW!

DATE: Thursday February 26, 6:30 P.M.

LOCATION: Good Companions Seniors’ Centre, 670 Albert St., OTTAWA

General Meeting and Speaker Event: The Art of Writing

Trevor Ferguson, one of Canada’s outstanding writers and the author of nine novels and four plays, will discuss The Art of Writing. Ferguson has been called Canada’s best novelist both in Books in Canada and the Toronto Star. He is a past chair of the Writers’ Union of Canada. Born in Seaforth, Ontario in 1947, he was raised in Montreal from the age of three. In his mid-teens, he gravitated towards Canada’s northwest where he worked on railway gangs, and also began to write, working at night in the bunkhouses. Socializing begins at 6:30 p.m. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Guest Fee: $10

NOTE: to accommodate Ferguson’s schedule, OIW’s Annual General Meeting and Reading Night will be held on March 26, a month later than usual.

Contact: tel: 613-425-3873 email: randyray@rogers.com web: http://www.oiw.ca

ITEM 12: OTTAWA STORYTELLERS PRESENTS AIN’T MISBEHAVING?            NEW!

 Ain’t Misbehavin’?

DATE: Thursday, February 26, 2015 Show starts at 7:30 PM

LOCATION: 4^TH STAGE, NAC

Great stories and fantastic music will be on display when storytellers Anne Nagy and Phil Nagy jazz up the 4^th Stage of the National Arts Centre with musicians Marylise Chauvette, Kate Greenland, Flavio Jorge, Mary Moore and Pat Moore Click here to purchase tickets. $22 Adults & $18 Seniors through Ticketmaster. Tickets are also available at the NAC Box Office with no online purchase fees.

ITEM 13: A B SERIES PRESENTS: FRED WAH & BRECKEN HANCOCK            NEW!

DATE: Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

LOCATION: RAW SUGAR CAFÉ, 692 Somerset Street West, Ottawa

BRECKEN HANCOCK’s poetry, essays, interviews, and reviews have appeared in Lemon Hound, The Globe & Mail, Hazlitt, Studies in Canadian Literature, and on the site Canadian Women in the Literary Arts. Her first book of poems, Broom Broom (Coach House, 2014), was named by The Globe & Mail’s Jared Bland as a debut of the year in 2014. She lives in Ottawa.

FRED WAH was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan in 1939, but he grew up in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. He studied music and English literature at the University of British Columbia in the early 1960’s where he was one of the founding editors of the poetry newsletter TISH. After graduate work in literature and linguistics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and the State University of New York at Buffalo, he returned to the Kootenays in the late 1960’s where he taught at Selkirk College and was the founding coordinator of the writing program at David Thompson University Centre. He retired from the University of Calgary in 2003 and now lives in Vancouver. He has been editorially involved with a number of literary magazines over the years, such as Open Letter and West Coast Line. His work has been awarded the Governor General’s Award, Alberta’s Stephanson Award for Poetry and Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Fiction, the Gabrielle Roy Prize for Writing on Canadian Literature, and B.C.’s Dorothy Livesay Prize for Poetry. He was Parliamentary Poet Laureate 2011-2013 and he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013. He has published over 20 books of poetry and prose. Recent books include Sentenced to Light, his collaborations with visual artists, is a door, a series of poem about hybridity, and a selected, The False Laws of Narrative, edited by Louis Cabri. A recent collaboration, High Muck a Muck: Playing Chinese, An Interactive Poem, is available online (http://highmuckamuck.ca/). His current project involves the Columbia River. Scree: The Collected Earlier Poems, 1962-1991 will be published by Talonbooks in the fall of 2015.

More info: http://abseries.org/

ITEM 14: OTTAWA MEMBERS SOCIETY OF CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITERS SCHMOOZE                                                                                                             

Date: Friday February 27 Time: 10:45 for an 11am start

Where: UPDATE: The location for the SCBWI Canada East get-together has been decided. We’ll be meeting for lunch at Vietnam Palace, 819 Somerset W. Please feel free to join us (you do not need to be a writer or illustrator for children).

If you do plan to attend, please register so that we can give the restaurant an accurate headcount. The event is free, but everyone pays their own way. Just visit http://canadaeast.scbwi.org/, scroll down to the calendar, click on Feb. 27, and follow the prompts.

Ottawa members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators are organizing another Schmooze–i.e., an opportunity for writers and illustrators to get together over lunch to socialize and talk shop. Whether or not you write or illustrate for children, you are welcome to join us. The venue hasn’t been chosen yet, but if you’d like to reserve the date, here are the details thus far, from our new Schmooze organizer, Katherine Battersby.

Seeing as it’s the start of a new year, our general theme for the meeting will be ‘goals’. I’ll start by letting you know what’s happening within SCBWI (e.g. any conference updates). Then we’ll discuss our goals for our Schmooze events – I’d love to start getting to know you all (what you write and illustrate, your interests) so we can make sure the events cater to our members’ needs. And finally we’ll have a go at setting some personal writing and illustrating goals – I find putting it down on paper really motivates me (and keeps me accountable!). Finally there’ll be lots of free time to talk and meet other creators, and we can all order some lunch too.

Just to note, the meetings will vary between weekdays and weekends (to give everyone a chance to attend) and will run around every three months.  Feel free to get in touch (at the email address below) if you have any questions.

Katherine (and the SCBWI team)  Children’s Author / Illustrator  www.katherinebattersby.com katherinebattersby@gmail.com

ITEM 15: FOR THE MEDIA CLUB OF OTTAWA’S ANNUAL WORKSHOP    

DATE: Saturday February 28, 2015 Time: 9 a.m. – Noon

LOCATION: Algonquin College

Topic: The New Reporter: Digital Skills for Traditional Media

Featuring the journalists who broke the robo calls story in 2012 –

Stephen Maher, author, journalist and columnist, Post Media News

and Glen McGregor, journalist, Ottawa Citizen plus

Andrew Pinsent, producer/reporter 1310 radio

more info contact: mediaclubofottawa1@gmail.com

ITEM 16:  FREEDOM TO READ WEEK MARKS 31ST YEAR                          

The Book and Periodical Council and its Freedom of Expression Committee are pleased to announce the 31st annual Freedom to Read Week in Canada. A national celebration of freedom of expression that takes place in libraries, schools and arts venues across Canada, this year’s program runs from February 22 to 28, 2015.

“Every week we read of challenges to free expression. Some command international headlines, others involve quiet requests to remove material from local library shelves, and all demand our attention,” said Marg Anne Morrison, chair of the Freedom of Expression Committee. “During Freedom to Read Week, we invite Canadians to celebrate free expression, place challenges to it under scrutiny and join together to debate how censorship in many forms affects us all.”

Freedom to Read Week incorporates public readings and panel discussions, challenged book and magazine displays and a kit for librarians and teachers. Public events take place in locations across the country; speakers include poets, investigative journalists, librarians and readers. Events this year include:

– discussions about investigative journalism in a transformed media landscape

– debates about libel law, self-censorship, defamation and intellectual freedom

– readings from challenged books and magazines

– the presentation of three awards for work in the field of free expression

A complete list of events in locations across Canada is available at freedomtoread.ca; it will be updated as new events are added. Event organizers are encouraged to share their plans with Freedom to Read Week organizers through the same web address.

ITEM 17: COMING IN MARCH: VERSEFEST 2015!                                                     NEW!

MARCH 24 TO 29, 2015, OTTAWA

The schedule for our fourth annual poetry festival, VERSeFest, is now online!

Readers to this year’s festival include Alessandra Naccarato, Amanda Earl, Anne Compton,
Anthony Bansfield, Arleen Paré, Armand Ruffo, Artemysia Fragiskapof, bill bissett, Claire Caldwell, dalton derkson, Daphne Marlatt, Deanna Young, Dennis Cooley, Eric Charlebois, El Jones, Emily McRae, Emma Blue, Forrest Gander, Frances Itani, Frederic Lanouette, Gail Scott,
Gary Geddes, Geneviève Bouchard, Gilles Latour, Gillian Wigmore, Herménégilde Chiasson,
Ikenna Onyegbula a.k.a OpenSecret, JC Bouchard, Rational Rebel, Jeramy Dodds, John Akpata,
Kande Mbeu, Kathleen Goulet, King Kimbit, Komi Olaf, Lillian Allen, Lisa Jarnot, Lise Gaboury-Diallo, Lorna Crozier, Margaret Michèle Cook, Marilyn Dumont, Marshall Hryciuk, Mehdi Hamdad, Michel Therien, Nick Laird, Nicole Brossard, Patrick Friesen, Patrick Lane,  Paul Vermeersch, Pearl Pirie, Raúl Zurita Canessa, Roland Prevost, Sacha Vachon, Sandra Ridley,
Sheri-D Wilson, Stan Dragland, Stephen Brockwell, Steven Artelle, Stevie Howell and Titilope Sonuga.

See the entire schedule, including author bios, information on tickets (as well as a number of free events) (and even how to volunteer) here

MAGAZINE SUBMISSION CALLS: ALL 30 ARE NEW CALLS

NEW! Necessary Fiction publishes a new book review each Monday, a featured short story each Wednesday, a contribution to its Research Notes series each Friday, and occasional interviews, essays, and other surprises. Fiction submissions should be under 3000 words.

NEW! Wigleaf is an award-winning online journal of very short fiction (under 1000 words). Submissions are open during the final week (7 days) of each academic month, with the exception of December.  New quarterly online literary magazine

NEW! Momentum is Australia’s first major digital imprint. Momentum accepts submissions weekly on Mondays between 12.00 midnight and 11.59 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time via email only. Momentum is open to publishing fiction and non-fiction in most traditional and non-traditional genres. This includes new and previously published shorter length stories, essays and journalism between 15,000 to 50,000 words, genre novels and non-fiction between 50,000 to 100,000 words and longer and complex narratives of over 100,000 words. Writers can be based anywhere in the world.

From the Well House, Indiana University Kokomo’s Art and Literary Journal, seek work for the next online publication. Accepting poetry, prose, and academic papers, plus art work and multimedia. Deadline: rolling. Guidelines
NO DEADLINES SPECIFIED:

NEW! Michigan Quarterly Review is an interdisciplinary journal of arts and culture that seeks to combine the best of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction with outstanding critical essays on literary, cultural, social, and political matters. Submissions for are accepted year round and the editors  try to include at least one story, essay or poem by a previously unpublished writer in every issue.

NEW! American Reader is a bimonthly magazine publishing fiction, poetry and criticism. It was named by Library Journal as one of the best new magazines of 2012. Submissions are accepted throughout the year.

NEW! One Teen Story is a literary magazine for young adult readers of every age. They are currently accepting submissions from writers of all ages. Contributors are paid US$500 and 25 copies of the issue in which their work appears.

NEW! Text Publishing is an independent literary publisher based in Melbourne. It is currently accepting unsolicited manuscript submissions of fiction and non-fiction, including upper primary and young adult.

NEW! Salt Publishing is open to submissions for a new ‘Modern Dreams’ series – a digital-only development of the Salt Modern Fiction list. The series will be for 20,000–30,000 word novellas that deal explicitly with the lives of young people in modern Britain and the USA.

NEW! Indiana Voice Journal was founded in July 2014. Each issue contains at least one new or previously unpublished author and submissions are invited from writers around the world. The journal publishes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, visual art, interviews and reviews.

NEW! Curbed is actively seeking story pitches from writers and photographers who are interested in contributing longform and narrative journalism that focus on architecture,design and real estate. This can include reported stories, profiles, essays, think pieces, oral histories, photo essays, and comic strips and other illustrated stories. Features average 3000 to 5000 words in length and all contributors are competitively paid.

NEW! Blue Monday Review is a review for prose, poetry and art which embody the literary spirit of the late Kurt Vonnegut. Submissions in a range of genres up to 8000 words will be considered.

NEW! Terraform is a new online publication from Vice Magazine. It is seeking submissions up to 2000 words of speculative fiction ‘honing in on the tech, science, and future culture topics driving the zeitgeist.’ Terraform pays a baseline rate of US$0.20 per word.

NEW! Guernica Daily is a daily publication of short original features. The editors are looking for thoughtful, argument-driven pieces that respond to timely issues. Reviews and interviews are welcome, as are personal essays if they show that the author’s experience has broader implications. Submissions should be between 400 and 1800 words.

NEW! The Quaker is an American undergraduate journal of literary art published by the Student Writers Guild and the Program in Creative Writing at Malone University in Ohio. It is seeking submissions of poetry, fiction and essays. Publication occurs on a rolling basis, and each semester one author is chosen to be honoured with a US$100 Editor’s Prize for an outstanding contribution to the journal.

NEW! Apex Magazine is an online prose and poetry magazine of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mash-ups of all three. Payment for original fiction is $.06 per word and submissions must be less than 7500 words

NEW! Georgia Review features essays, fiction, poetry, graphics and book reviews. The GR website states ‘Pulitzer Prize winners and never-before-published writers are equals during our manuscript evaluation process.’ All work must be previously unpublished and simultaneous submissions are not accepted.

NEW! Tishman Review is a new literary journal with its first issue being published in January 2015. It welcomes submissions of short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and book reviews year-round and is currently reading for its April issue.

NEW! Cleaver Magazine publishes cutting-edge art and literary work from a mix of established and emerging voices. Submissions of poetry, short stories, essays, flash prose, and visual art are open year round.

NEW! Blunderbuss Magazine is a web magazine of arts, culture, and politics. It welcomes unsolicited submissions and describes itself as ‘genre flexible’.

NEW! Mosaic Magazine is based in New York and explores the literary arts by writers of African descent. It features interviews, essays, book reviews and literature  lesson plans. Before submitting full articles send a brief summary via email. If you are interested in reviewing books forward a writing sample and bio.

NEW! Canary Press is a story magazine based in Australia but that accepts submissions from writers worldwide. According to the submission guidelines ‘if you have a story that’s too funny; too outrageous; too moving, soulful, exciting or ridiculous for our more prestigious journals, we’d love to hear from you.’

2015 DEADLINES:

MARCH:

NEW! Stockholm Review of Literature is an online publication that seeks to publish superlative literary fiction, poetry, essays and art, and undertakes to promote the writers and artists that produce it. Submissions received by 8 March will be considered for its seventh issue.

NEW! Papercuts is a a bi-annual literary magazine published by Desi Writers Lounge, – an online workshop for writers of South Asian origin and writing on South Asia. The theme for volume 15 is Fables and Folklore. The editors are looking for poems, stories, artwork and essays that draw on local tales, histories and characters for inspiration. Closes 15 March.

NEW! Tin House is accepting submissions for its Fall 2015 issue. It is looking for fiction, poetry, non-fiction and interviews on the theme ‘Theft’. Submissions close 15 March.

NEW! Kill Your Darlings is an Australian-based literary journal that publishes essays, commentary, interviews, fiction, reviews, opinion pieces and columns.  Submissions open on 1 March and close on 31 March.

NEW! Masters Review is accepting submissions for its printed anthology. The guest editor is Kevin Brockmeier. The anthology is open to fiction and narrative nonfiction from emerging writers worldwide who have not yet published a novel-length work. Submissions close 31 March.

NEW! Cheat River Review reads original, previously unpublished nonfiction, fiction, flash, and poetry. Submissions for Issue 4 close in late March.

APRIL AND LATER:

NEW! Becoming a Teacher is a new anthology by In Fact Books. The editors are  looking for stories that, collectively, represent a wide variety of teachers and teaching experiences–in public or private or religious or charter schools, in cities or suburbs or rural areas, with typically-developing students or those with special needs, at home or internationally. Stories should combine a strong and compelling narrative with an informative or reflective element, reaching beyond a strictly personal experience for some universal or deeper meaning. Closes 6 APRIL.

NEW! Cold Mountain Review  publishes poetry, creative non-fiction, interviews with creative writers, fiction and art. Submissions are read between August and May each year.

NEW! Harvard Review publishes short fiction, poetry, essays, drama, and book reviews. Writers at all stages of their careers are invited to submit their work; however, the editors warn they can only publish a very small fraction of the material the receive. The reading period runs until 31 May.

UPCOMING WRITING CONTESTS: 28 NEW!

FEBRUARY DEADLINES:

CLOSING THIS WEEK:

Toronto Star Short Story Contest Judges will select the three winners from a first round of finalists selected by Humber School for Writers faculty. Winners will be celebrated and their stories published in the Sunday Star. See website for full contest rules.   Deadline: Friday, February 27, 2015

Entry fee: none Prize: 1st Prize: $5000 plus the tuition fee for The Humber School for Writers Correspondence Program in Creative Writing (approx. value $3000) Details: http://thestar.com/contests.html 

Spring Pulse Poetry Festival northern Ontario’s largest poetry/arts event is sponsoring the 2015 Dr. William Henry Drummond Poetry Contest. Deadline: Friday February 27, 2015. All entrants must be Canadian residents or landed immigrants. In 1970 the first contest began in Cobalt during the Miners festival on French-Canadian Day. It is the oldest non-governmental national poetry contest in Canada. The contest honours Canada’s most popular 19th century poet. Dr. Drummond was the town’s first doctor, a silver mine manager, and world famous poet who died in Cobalt in 1907. Deadline: Friday February 27 2015 Entry fee: $10 Prizes: $1200: $300 first place, $200 second place, $100 third place, 8 honourable mentions of $50 8 judge’s choice of $25 Complimentary anthology of winners, trophy, and award ceremony at Cobalt Public Library on Friday May 29 during the Spring Pulse Poetry Festival. Blind Judging will be done by a League of Canadian Poets member. Details: www.springpulsepoetryfestival.com Enquires: Send to David Brydges mybrydges@yahoo.ca

The Annual Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Award. 2015 Call for Submissions. In late 2011, Jessica Bell and Dawn Ius founded Vine Leaves Literary Journal to offer the vignette, a forgotten literary form, the exposure and credit it deserves. The vignette is a snapshot in words, and differs from flash fiction or a short story in that its aim doesn’t lie within the traditional realms of structure or plot, instead it focuses on one element, mood, character, setting or object. The journal, published quarterly online, is a lush synergy of atmospheric prose, poetry, photography and illustrations, put together with an eye for aesthetics as well as literary merit. The annual print anthology showcases the very best pieces from across the year. We are pleased to announce the second Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Award and would like to invite writers to submit their best manuscript of vignettes.  Submissions open: June 1, 2014 – February 28, 2015  Prize: $500 + Publication in early 2016 by Vine Leaves Press + 20 copies Guest Judge: Dan Holloway. For submission guidelines, please go to: http://www.vineleavesliteraryjournal.com/contests.html​

TWO CONTESTS: Now through 11:59 p.m. EST on February 28th, Fence is accepting submissions for both the Fence Modern Prize in Prose, and the Fence Modern Poets Series. You can submit your work here, or you can read on for details about each prize. Full guidelines are available at fenceportal.org.  You can submit your work here, or you can read on for details about each prize. Full guidelines are available at fenceportal.org. 

•  Fence Modern Prize in Prose + Electronic submissions only, please. + Submit a novel written in English. + Entry fee of $28, which includes a subscription to FENCE.  The winner of the Fence Modern Prize in Prose will receive $1,500 and publication by Fence Books. In 2014, Ottessa Moshfegh was awarded the prize for her novel McGlue. The 2015 FMPP, judged by Lynne Tillman, will be announced this month. More information is available here.  http://www.fenceportal.org/?page_id=4191&mc_cid=3d8ea9eb2d&mc_eid=a8acc38d49
•  Fence Modern Poets Series + Electronic submissions only, please. + Open to poets of any gender and at any stage in their publishing career. + Submissions must be 48-80 pages, and written in English. + Entry fee of $28, which includes a subscription to FENCE. The winner of the Fence Modern Poets series will receive $1,000 and publication by Fence Books. Past winners include Kevin Holden, Jennifer MacKenzie, Lee Ann Brown, James Shea, Prageeta Sharma, Joyelle McSweeney, and Paul Legault. More information available here. http://www.fenceportal.org/?page_id=42&mc_cid=23432bf78c&mc_eid=a8acc38d49

The New Quarterly invites entries to the Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest. Submit poems written in response to an occasion (personal or public), poems of gratitude or grief, poems that celebrate or berate, poems that make an occasion of something or simply mark one. Prize: $1000. Entry fee: $40 for up to 2 unpublished poems; $5 each for additional poems. Entrants must be Canadian or reside in Canada. Deadline: February 28, 2015. Guidelines

2015 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest! The contest is open to all writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Submissions must be 1200 words or fewer. Ann Patchett, celebrated author of six novels, including Bel Canto and State of Wonder, will be the final judge. The Kenyon Review will publish the winning short story in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue, and the author will be awarded a scholarship to attend the 2015 Writers Workshop, June 13th-20th, in Gambier, Ohio. Additional info on the Writers Workshop is available here.   http://www.kenyonreview.org/contests/short-fiction/

MARCH DEADLINES:

CBC Creative Nonfiction Competition This is it! One of your first writing assignments of the New Year! Send us your original, unpublished work of creative nonfiction for a chance to win $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a writing residency at the Banff Centre and publication in Air Canada’s enRoute Magazine.  Deadline: March 1, 2015. Details: http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/literaryprizes/nonfiction/ 

ON THE PREMISES Short Story Contest #25. This contest’s premise is as follows: LEARNING One or more characters try to learn something. The key word is “try,” so (1) they must expend at least some effort, and (2) they can succeed, fail, or anything in-between–that’s up to you. Your challenge: Write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long that clearly uses this contest premise. One entry per author. No fee for entering. Deadline: Friday, March 6, 2015, 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Hyphenated Words: If the hyphenated word is generally considered a single word, it counts as one word. (Like “twenty-five” or “jack-o-lantern.”) Otherwise each part of the hyphenated word counts separately. Prizes: $220 for first (not $180 anymore), $160 for second (not $140 anymore), $120 for third (not $100 anymore), and $60 for up to three honorable mentions (not $40 anymore). To submit an entry, use this link and follow the instructions. If you don’t already have a (free) Submittable account, you’ll be prompted to make one. Keep reading and writing, www.OnThePremises.com

Room Magazine (Vancouver, BC) invites entries from writers, who identify as women or genderqueer, for their annual creative non-fiction writing contest. First prize: $500 + publication. Entry fee: $35 (includes one-year subscription), and $7 for each additional entry. Deadline: March 8, 2015. Guidelines.

Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction is offered each year by Colorado State University’s Center for Literary Publishing. The winner receives a US$2000 honorarium and the story is published in the fall/winter issue of Colorado Review. There are no theme restrictions, but stories must be under 50 pages. Entries close 14 March.

NEW! THE MISSOURI REVIEW Contest Guidelines Entry Fee: In an effort to expand our contest, entry fees (previously $20) are now payable by donation. We ask only that you contribute what you feel is fair, keeping in mind that literary journals, and contests, cost money to run and that your contribution includes a one-year, digital subscription to The Missouri Review. All of your donation money goes directly to support the continued production of The Missouri Review and its programs. Previous first-place winners are not eligible to win again. Postmark Deadline: March 15th, 2015 Multiple entries are welcome, accompanied by a separate donation for each title you wish to have considered. We are happy to accept previously published or aired pieces as submissions, so long as you, the entrant, hold the rights. Online Submission System You can now submit your entries online, as well as pay your donation through our secure server. To do so, click here to go to our online submission form. Please note that we only accept entries in mp3 format. Mailed Submissions Technical Requirements: Mailed entries should be sent on CD only. CDs should not contain any audio other than entry material. Include a brief program synopsis and bio of the writer/producer. For poetry submissions, please record each poem as a separate track. a completed entry form for each entry (download the entry form) a copy of the entry on a CD, labeled with writer/ producer, title and length a brief program synopsis and short writer/producer bio a donation as entry fee (make checks out to The Missouri Review) Send Entries To The Missouri Review Audio Competition 357 McReynolds Hall University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211 Questions? Please visit our FAQ. If your questions isn’t answered there, email us: MUTMRcontestquestion@missouri.edu

NEW! Prairie Schooner Book Prize Series welcomes manuscripts from all living writers, including non-US citizens, writing in English. Winners will receive $3000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press.The editors prefer that fiction manuscripts be at least 150 pages long and poetry manuscripts at least 50 pages long. Novels are not considered; manuscripts should be comprised either entirely of short stories or one novella along with short stories. Entries close 15 March.

NEW! Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction offers a prize of US$1000 and the winner and many runners-up will be published in the Spring 2016 print edition of Bellingham Review. Entries close 15 March.

NEW! Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is awarded by Selected Shorts with partner Electric Literature. The judge of the prize in 2015 is Karen Russell. The winning entry will receive US$1000 and the work will be performed and recorded live at the Selected Shorts performance at Symphony Space, and will be published on electricliterature.com. The winning writer will also earn free admission to a 10-week course with Gotham Writers Workshop. Closes 15 March.

NEW! James Jones Fellowship Contest is now in its 24th year. It awards $10,000 to an American writer with a first fiction novel in progress in 2015. Two runners-up will each receive $1000. Entries close 15 March.

NEW! Annie Dillard Award For Creative Nonfiction offers a prize of US$1000 and the winner and many runners-up will be published in the Spring 2016 print edition of Bellingham Review. Entries close 15 March.

NEW! Willow Springs Fiction Prize awards a first prize of $2000 and publication. There is a $15 entry fee for which every entrants receives a subscription to Willow Springs. Closes 15 March.

NEW! Crime Writers’ Association (UK) Margery Allingham Short Story Competition is open to all writers around the world. They encourage entries from both published and unpublished writers. Stories must be no longer than 3500 words and the winner will receive £1,000. Entries close 16 March.

NEW! Rachel Funari Prize for Fiction is named in honour of Lip Magazine’s founding editor. Lip is a feminist magazine and  the theme of the 2015 competition is ‘privilege’, with a focus on women’s stories. Anyone is eligible to enter and the organisers are looking for creative, insightful fiction that addresses the theme in any kind of way. Closes 23 March.

NEW! SA Writers’ College Annual Short Story Award is open to emerging writers in South Africa who have had fewer than four stories/articles published in any format (print or digital). First prize is R 10 000.00 and entries may be up to 2000 words in length. Closes 31 March.

NEW! Narrative Magazine Winter Story Contest is open to short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished and no longer than 15,000 words. First prize is US$2500. The contest closes on 31 March.

NEW! Bath Novel Award is an international competition for unpublished or self-published novels with a £1000 prize. Submissions should include up to the first five thousand words of a novel plus a one page synopsis. Entries close 31 March.

NEW! Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition offers a first prize of £800. The competition is open to all writers over 16 the chairman of the judging panel is Alexander McCall Smith. Stories should be under 1500 words and can be on any topic. Closes 31 March.

NEW! Caterpillar’s Inaugural Poetry Competition is for a single poem written by an adult for children (aged 7–11). The competition is open to all and there is no line limit. The winner receives €1000 and publication. Entries close 31 March.

NEW! Short Fiction is a UK-based visual literary journal. It’s annual Short Fiction Prize is open to stories in any genre up to 6000 words. The winner receives £500 and publication. Entries close 31 March.

MSLEXIA WOMEN’S SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2015  CLOSING MAR. 16, 2015 For stories of up to 2,200 words in length on any subject. 1st prize: £2,000 Plus two optional extras: a week’s writing retreat at Tŷ Newydd Writers’ Centre*, and a day with a Virago editor* 2nd prize £500   3rd prize £250 Three other finalists each receive £100 All winning stories will be published in Mslexia magazine. Judge: Alison MacLeod Closing date: 16 March 2015. Please read the competition rules before entering. *The Tŷ Newydd retreat is accommodation only; dates should be agreed between Tŷ Newydd and the competition winner. The date of the Virago mentoring session should be agreed between Virago and the competition winner. The winner is responsible for any other expenses involved with attending the Tŷ Newydd retreat and the day with a Virago editor, i.e. travel, food, etc. The prizes must be taken by 31 May 2016. FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://mslexia.co.uk/shop/scomp_enter.php

The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html First up is the Clean as a Whistle Contest, March 31, 2015

Second Story Press Aboriginal Writing Contest. Second Story Press has announced a new writing contest to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The press is looking to build on the diversity of its list – already strongly populated by books and series on social justice for both adults and children – by announcing a call for contemporary writing for a young reader audience that reflects the modern experience of Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit) people. Canadian writers aged 18 and older who identify as Aboriginal are invited to share the stories that reflect their unique lives, experiences, successes, and perspectives. Both fiction and nonfiction will be accepted.  Deadline: March 31, 2015

Entry fee: none Prize: Publishing contract with Second Story Press Details: www.secondstorypress.ca/aboriginal-writing-contest 

MONTREAL POETRY PRIZE 2015 $20,000 PRIZE:  The not-for-profit Montreal International Poetry Prize has launched its 2015 competition. The prize is $20,000. The 2015 judge is Eavan Boland. And the 10 international jurors for this year are Gabeba Baderoon of South Africa, Kate Clanchy of Scotland, Carolyn Forche of the United States, Amanda Jernigan of Canada, Anthony Lawrence of Australia, Niyi Osundare of Nigeria, Jennifer Rahim of Trinidad, K. Satchidanandan of India, Michael Schmidt of the United Kingdom and Bruce Taylor of Canada. The final deadline is May 15, but we encourage entries before March 31st. Online entries only. Visit www.montrealprize.com. There’s also a poster available for download under News/Downloads for your convenience. Good luck to all participants! 

APRIL DEADLINES:

Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. Writer’s Digest hosts the 23rd annual self-published competition–the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition, co-sponsored by Book Marketing Works, LLC spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. Early-Bird Deadline: April 1, 2015. What’s in it for you? $8,000 in cash. National exposure for your work. The attention of prospective editors and publishers. A paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference! How to enter: Register and pay online or download a printable entry form. ( Early-bird entry fees are $99 for the first entry, and $75 for each additional entry.)

Enter your book into one or more of these categories: Mainstream/Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, Nonfiction, Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age), Life Stories (Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories, Memoirs), Children’s Picture books, Middle-Grade/Young Adult books, Reference Books (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books) More info: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/selfpublished?et_mid=719512&rid=239199236

NEW!North American Review’s Torch Prize for Creative Nonfiction offers a first prize of $500. Writers may submit only one piece of creative nonfiction, no longer than 30 pages. Entries close 1 April.

NEW! Grain Magazine’s Annual Short Grain Writing Contest offers prizes for both fiction and poetry and is open to writers worldwide. A total of CA$4500 in prize money is on offer. Entries close 1 April.

NEW!Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing is for unpublished manuscripts by writers from Australia and New Zealand. The winner receives AUD$10,000 and a publishing contract with Text Publishing. Entries close 2 April.

NEW! Waterman Fund Essay Contest invites emerging writers to explore the question of who the stewards of wilderness are. Statistically, more men than women explore professional careers in the stewardship of wilderness and public land management. What, if any, bearing does the gender of stewards have on our shared and individual perceptions of, and relationship to, wilderness? The winning essayist will be awarded $1500 and published in Appalachia Journal. Entries close 15 April.

NEW! New South Writing Contest will be judged by Roger Reeves in the genre of poetry and Rebecca Makkai in the genre of prose. The contest awards $1000 the winners in each category as well as two $250 runner’s up prizes. Entries close 15 April. 

NEW! Event Magazine’s Non-Fiction Contest is open to creative non-fiction up to 5000 words in length. There is US$1500 prize money available in addition to the regular publication payment. The $34.95 entry fee includes a 1-year subscription. Entries close 15 April.

NEW! Eyelands International Short Story Contest has the theme ‘on the verge. The contest is open to unpublished stories of any genre up to 2500 words. The winner receives a one week holiday on the island of Crete and the top three entrants will be published in anthologies in both Greek and English. Closes 20 April.

NEW! Passages North is running two writing competitions: the Thomas J. Hrushka Memorial Nonfiction Prize is for writing up to 10,000 words and the Elinor Benedict Poetry Prize for poems up to 1000 words. Both competitions have a US$1000 first prize. Entries close 20 April.

NEW! Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest is open to original short stories and essays on any theme. The winner in each category receives US$1500 and there are a total of 10 minor prizes of $100. Entries should be a maximum of 6000 words. Closes 30 April.

NEW! Exeter Story Prize is accepting entries up to 10,000 words and stories may be on any theme. The winner receives £500 and a trophy, and there is an additional prize on offer for best humorous story. Closes 30 April.

NEW! Redivider’s Beacon Street Prize is open to fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The winner in each category will receive $500 and publication in the winter 2015 issue of Redivider. The winning pieces will be selected by guest judges: James Scott (fiction), Laura Kasischke (poetry), and Susannah Cahalan (nonfiction). Closes 30 April. 

Sequestrum (US) is accepting entries for the 2015 Editor’s Reprint Award. Open theme and length. Submit previously-published fiction and nonfiction only. One winner receives $200 and publication, and one runner-up receives publication and payment at our usual rates. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: April 30, 2015. Guidelines.

Bristol Short Story Prize is open to  stories up to 4000 words. Entries can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style including graphic, verse or genre-based (crime, science fiction, fantasy, historical, romance, children’s etc). Twenty stories will be shortlisted and published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 8. Entries close 30 April.

AND LATER:

NEW! Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

is one of Australia’s most lucrative prizes for an original short story. Open to writers worldwide, the prize is worth a total of AUD $8000 with a first prize of $5000 and supplementary prizes of $2000 and $1000. Entries close 1 May.

The Cottage Life Al Purdy Potty Poetry Contest. “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Cottagers love potty poems! Potty poems tell guests how not to gum up the septic system. Almost every cottage has a potty poem hanging in the bathroom. Write a new classic potty poem for a chance to win! Prizes include cash, signed Purdy first editions, and the winning poem will be posted in the A-frame and published in Cottage Life. Enter as many poems as you like. Poems must be no more than 20 lines in length. Sponsored by Cottage Life and the Al Purdy A-frame Association, which is restoring Al’s iconic cottage as a writers’ retreat. The Purdy cabin is a national literary treasure, where Al wrote and entertained such CanLit giants as Margaret Laurence, Milton Acorn, and Michael Ondaatje. All-star judges: Margaret Atwood (poet, novelist, activist) George Bowering (Canada’s first poet laureate) Jason Collett (singer-songwriter, Broken Social Scene) Prize information:First Prize (1): $250 + published in Cottage Life + posted in Al Purdy A-frame cottage + a signed Al Purdy first edition Second Prize (1): $150 Third Prize (1): $100 Early Bird Draw: Enter by April 1, 2015, for a chance to win a signed Al Purdy first edition and a Cottage Life sweatshirt. Contest closes May 1, 2015   Enter Now   Rules and regulations »

David Nathan Meyerson Prize for Fiction is only open to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction, either a novel or collection of stories. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in Southwest Review. Stories can be up to 8000 words in length and all entries will be considered for publication. The deadline for entries is 1 May.

Conium Review Innovative Short Fiction Contest is for new writing that takes risks. Submission may include any combination of flash fiction or short stories up to 7500 total words.The winner receives US$500 and publication. Entries open 1 February and close 1 May.

Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition: Writer’s Digest has been shining a spotlight on up and coming writers in all genres through its Annual Writing Competition for more than 80 years. Enter our 84th Annual Writing Competition for your chance to win and have your work be seen by editors and agents! The winning entries of this writing contest will also be on display in the 84th Annual Writer’s Digest Competition Collection. Early-Bird Entry Deadline: May 4, 2015. More info: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/writers-digest-annual-competition?et_mid=721950&rid=239199236    

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is dedicated to recognising and supporting the work of emerging writers whose fiction has not yet achieved success. Entries must be less than 3500 words and the competition is open to writers based anywhere is the world. The winner receives US$1500 and publication. The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition first ran in 1981; entries close 15 May.

NEW! We Need Diverse Books Short Story Contest
is open to emerging diverse writers from all diverse backgrounds (including, but not limited to, LGBTQIA, people of colour, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural and religious minorities) who have not been published in a traditional print fiction book format, including self-published, independents, small and medium publishing houses, in all genres whether for the children’s or adult market. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in the “Stories For All Of Us” anthology. Entries open on 27 April and close on 8 May.

Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish a book. Fiction entries must be under 6000 words. The winner in each genre will be awarded US$1000 and publication. Entries close 15 May.

Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize, Entry Period, The 2015 prize is open from 1 October 2014 – 29 May 2015. How to enter * 2014 winners and shortlist. About the prize: The University of Canberra has established an international poetry prize. On behalf of the university, this is administered by the International Poetry Studies Institute (IPSI), part of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research in the Faculty of Arts and Design. The prize celebrates the enduring significance of poetry to cultures everywhere in the world, and its ongoing and often seminal importance to world literatures. It marks the University of Canberra’s commitment to creativity and imagination in all that it does, and builds on the work of the International Poetry Studies Institute in identifying poetry as a highly resilient and sophisticated human activity. It also builds on the activities of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research, which conducts wide-ranging research into human creativity and culture. The University of Canberra’s Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize was offered for the first time in 2014. Entries for the 2015 prize may be submitted from 1 October 2014 until 29 May 2015 for this prize. The prize will be announced on or before 30 September 2015 and prize winners will be notified prior to that. Important details are: The winner will receive AUD$15,000 The runner-up (second-placed poem) will receive AUD$5,000 Four additional poems will be short-listed All poems entered for the prize will be single poems that have a maximum length of  50 lines (see the Conditions of Entry for further details) Each entry of a poem will cost AUD$15 if submitted by 31 January 2015 and AUD$20 if submitted between 1 February and 29 May 2015. There are discounts for students. http://www.canberra.edu.au/vcpoetryprize

A Midsummer Tale Narrative Writing Contest is open to both fiction and creative non-fiction. Stories must be between 1000 and 5000 words and there are no entry fees. Entries are accepted between 1 April and 21 June each year.

The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html Deadline for The Picture Perfect Poetry Chapbook Anthology Contest _June 30, 2015

The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html July contests: Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards Contest – July 1, 2015 and The Golden Grassroots Chapbook Contest July 31 2015

The Sunday Times Short Story Prize is the world’s richest short story competition with the winner receiving £30,000 (US$47,000). In 2014 the prize was won by Adam Johnson for his story ‘Nirvana’. The longlist for the 2015 Sunday Times Short Story Prize will be announced in February and the winner in April. Entries for the 2016 prize are expected to open in July 2015.

Manchester Fiction Prize is a major international literary competition open to anyone aged 16 or over. The winner receives a cash prize of £10,000 (US$15,500). Stories can be up to 2500 words in length. Entries open in April and are expected to close in August.

The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html The Ted Plantos Memorial Award – Aug 31 each year

The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html Food for Thought Contest Sept. 30, 2015

Zoetrope All-Story’s Annual Fiction Contest
has the aim of seeking out and encouraging talented writers, with the winning and runners-up’s work being forwarded to leading literary agents. A first prize of US$1000 is also offered. Stories can be up to 5000 words. Entries open on 1 July and are expected to close on 1 October.

Aura Estrada Short Story Contest
is one of three contests run each year by Boston Review.The winning author will receive US $1500 and have his or her work published in the summer edition of the magazine. First runner-up will be published in a following issue and second runner-up will be published on the Boston Review website. Entries close 1 October.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize Prize
is an annual award for unpublished short fiction open to citizens of the 53 Commonwealth countries. The prize covers the five Commonwealth regions: Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean and Pacific. One winner will be selected from each region, with one regional winner to be selected as the overall winner. The overall winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize will receive £5000 (US$8200) and the remaining four regional winners receive £2500. Entries for the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize are expected to open in October 2015.

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