Your Guide to Fall Magazine Writing Contests

[This post has been updated]

Autumn, for many, is a fertile time of mind. Anticipating that, many of Canada’s great literary magazines and organizations are hosting creative writing contests for emerging journalists and literary artists.

Building on our Guide to Summer Writing Contests we present those competitions open to the general public coming up this fall. We also carry an exhaustive list of awards, contests, funding and other opportunities in the Professional Resources section of our website. If we missed one, let us know.

The Walrus | CIC International Long-Form Competition
Sections: Non-fiction
Deadline: October 26, 2012
Prize: $7500 + publication
Entry Fee: None
Details: http://www.opencanada.org/competition/
Notes: Entrants submit a detailed pitch for an investigative story with an international focus; the winner will work with a Walrus editor to develop and publish the piece.

CBC Canada Writes Short Story Prize
Sections: Short fiction
Deadline: November 1, 2012
Prize: $6000 + publication in enRoute + Banff centre residency (winner); $1000 to each of 4 runners-up
Entry Fee: $25
Details: http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/literaryprizes/shortstory/
Notes: CBC Canada Writes also hosts Creative Non-fiction and Poetry competitions with deadlines in 2013. Details to come.

The Malahat Review Open Season Awards
Sections: Fiction; Poetry; Creative non-fiction
Deadline: November 1, 2012
Prize: $1000 to the winner in each section + publication
Entry Fee: $35 (includes subscription)
Details: http://web.uvic.ca/malahat/contests/open_season/info.html

Amprosia | WCDR Prose Competition
Sections: Creative non-fiction
Deadline: November 1, 2012
Prize: $1000 (1st); $400 (2nd); $200 (3rd); publication in anthology
Entry Fee: $20
Details: http://wcdr.ca/wcdr/2012-amprosia-the-wcdr-prose-competition/

Writers Union of Canada Short Prose Competition
Sections: Fiction; Non-fiction
Deadline: November 3, 2012
Prize: $2500; assistance with publication
Entry Fee: $29
Details: http://www.writersunion.ca/short-prose

PRISM International Creative Writing Contests
Sections: Literary non-fiction; Short fiction; Poetry
Deadline: November 28, 2012 (non-fiction); January 25, 2013 (fiction & poetry)
Prize: $1500 (1st); $300 (2nd); $200 (3rd); publication in magazine
Entry Fee: $35 (includes subscription)
Details: http://prismmagazine.ca/contests/

Prairie Fire Creative Writing Contests
Sections: Creative non-fiction; Short fiction; Poetry
Deadline: November 30, 2012
Prize: $1250 (1st); $500 (2nd); $250 (3rd); publication in magazine
Entry Fee: $32 (includes subscription)
Details: http://prairiefire.ca/contests.html

Briarpatch Creative Writing Contest
Sections: Creative non-fiction
Deadline: December 1, 2012
Prize: $750 in total prizes
Entry Fee: $25 (includes subscription)
Details: http://briarpatchmagazine.com/announcements/view/creative-writing-contest

The Fiddlehead 22nd annual Literary Contest
Sections: Poetry; Fiction
Deadline: December 1, 2012
Prize: $2000 (winner); $200 each for 2 runners-up; publication in magazine
Entry Fee: $30 (includes subscription)
Details: http://www.thefiddlehead.ca/FHcontest.html

FreeFall magazine Poetry and Prose Contest
Sections: Poetry; Fiction
Deadline: December 31, 2012
Prize: $300 (winner); $150 (2nd); $75 (3rd); publication
Entry Fee: $21 (includes subscription)
Details: http://www.freefallmagazine.ca/contest.html

Alberta Literary Awards
Sections: Travel Writing (unpublished); Essays (unpublished); Short Fiction (published); Non-fiction (published); plus book awards
Deadline: December 31, 2012
Prize: $700 (winner in each section)
Entry Fee: $25
Details: http://www.writersguild.ab.ca/Alberta-Literary-Awards.asp

Other contests on the horizon for 2013:
The New Quarterly literary contests
CBC Canada Writes non-fiction & poetry contests
Grain magazine Short Grain writing contests
Event magazine non-fiction contest
Writers Union of Canada various contests
Geist magazine various contests
Arc Poetry Magazine various contests

Know of other literary contests coming up this fall/winter? Leave a comment on this blog or holler at us: staff [at] magazine-awards.com or twitter.com/natmagawards.