2027 planning guide · Reviewed October 16, 2026
Plan your next submission with this guide to contests for Canadian writers. Dates below are drawn from organizers’ own published information. Some 2027 calls are already announced; others are still pending. Always read the linked rules before submitting, as eligibility, fees and deadlines can change.
Announced competitions for the 2027 season
Pulp Literature — Bumblebee Flash Fiction Contest
Opens January 1; closes February 15, 2027. Unpublished fiction up to 750 words. Prize: $300. Entry: $25, or $15 before January 15; includes a digital subscription. No simultaneous submissions; the contest has an entry cap.
Pulp Literature — Magpie Award for Poetry
Opens March 1; closes April 15, 2027. Unpublished poems up to 100 lines. First prize: $500; two runners-up: $50 each. Entry: $35 for the first poem ($25 before March 15), then $10 per additional poem. No simultaneous submissions.
Grain — Short Grain Contest
The publisher lists January 1–April 15, 2027 as the contest period. Prizes: $1,000, $750 and $500, with publication. Consult the entry guidelines for genre, length and fee requirements; the page still includes some 2026 material.
FreeFall — Annual Prose & Poetry Contest
Runs December 1, 2026–April 30, 2027. Maximum 3,000 words of prose or three poems per entry. Entry: $25, including a one-year subscription with the first entry. Prizes in poetry and fiction: $500, $250, $125 and a $75 honourable mention.
Alberta Views — Short Story Contest
Deadline: June 30, 2027. Open to current and former Alberta residents, excluding employees and previous winners. Maximum 3,000 words. Prize: $1,000 and publication. Entry: $40 per story, including a one-year subscription.
The New Quarterly — Peter Hinchcliffe Short Fiction Award
The publisher announces its 2027 contest, but a closing date is not stated on the overview and the linked entry page still says the 2026 award is closed. Confirm entry availability with TNQ before paying. Prize: $1,000; entry: $40. Canadian citizens or residents who have not published a first novel or short-story collection are eligible.
The New Quarterly — Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest
The publisher announces its 2027 contest; a closing date was not available in the checked overview. Prize: $1,000; entry: $40 per essay, including a Canadian subscription. Consult TNQ for the full eligibility rules and entry availability.
The New Quarterly — Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest
The publisher announces its 2027 contest; a closing date was not available in the checked overview. The contest recognizes an occasional poem, with a $1,000 first prize. Use the publisher’s current entry instructions for fees and eligibility.
Still relevant: late-2026 deadlines
These opportunities close before 2027. They are retained here so writers do not miss an available submission window.
Contemporary Verse 2 — Foster Poetry Prize
Deadline: November 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Central Time. For poets who have not published a full-length poetry book; chapbooks are permitted. First prize: $1,000 and publication. Entry: $35 initially, then $20. Submit one or two poems totalling no more than 80 lines. Results are expected in January 2027.
EVENT — Non-Fiction Contest
Extended deadline: November 1, 2026, end of day Pacific Time. Maximum 5,000 words. Prizes: $1,500, $1,000 and $500, plus publication. Entry: $34.95; student entry: $19.95. The 2026 judge is Minelle Mahtani. A 2027 competition has not been confirmed here. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
Grain — Hybrid Grain Contest
Deadline: November 1, 2026. Experimental, literary-based work, up to five pages. Canadian entry: $40. Prizes: $1,000, $750 and $500, with publication. Work must suit the magazine’s print format. The 2027 contest period is not yet confirmed.
Prairie Fire — McNally Robinson Booksellers Writing Contests
Deadline: November 30, 2026 (postmarked if mailed). Competitions for poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction. Consult Prairie Fire’s current contest rules for fees, prizes, length limits and submission instructions. No 2027 intake date is confirmed.
The Malahat Review — Open Season Awards
Deadline: November 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction; Canadian and international writers may enter. Each genre winner receives $2,000 and publication in the spring 2027 issue. This is a 2026 submission deadline for 2027 publication.
Room — Short Forms Contest
Open October 15–December 15, 2026. Entries may cross genres, up to 500 words. Prizes: $1,000, $250 and $100. Read Room’s mandate, eligibility and fee information before submitting. This is separate from the closed poetry contest listed below.
Watch for the next announcement
No confirmed 2027 deadline was found for the opportunities below. Previous-year fees, judges and prizes are not presented as 2027 terms.
The Fiddlehead — Fiction Contest
The latest confirmed deadline was September 1, 2026. The publisher continues to maintain its fiction contest page; watch for the next call.
Arc Poetry — Diana Brebner Prize
The 2026 deadline was extended to September 7. This prize has specific National Capital Region residency and publication-history requirements; it is not open to every Canadian poet.
Dreamers — Flash Fiction Contest
Dreamers lists September 30 without a year. A dated 2027 call has not been verified. Check the current submission portal before entering; do not assume that an undated annual listing is open. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
gritLIT — Short Story Contest
The 2026 contest is closed. Its staged writing challenge and theme may change for the next competition.
Canthius — Priscila Uppal Memorial Award for Poetry
The 2026 submission window is closed. The publisher’s latest listed runner-up prize is $200, correcting the previous guide’s $250; 2027 terms are not yet confirmed.
Manitoba Writers’ Guild — Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition
The page includes 2026 results and 2026–2027 judges, but its submission instructions still give February 15, 2026. Await a clear new deadline before submitting. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
The Ex-Puritan — Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence
The publisher maintains this fiction and poetry prize. A confirmed 2027 entry window was not found; use the official prize page for the next announcement. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
Geist — Short Long-Distance Writing Contest
The latest listed deadline was July 3, 2026. The contest concerns stories spanning Canadian time zones. Watch the publisher’s contest announcements for a new edition.
League of Canadian Poets — Spoken Word Award
Consult the League’s award page for a new call and current eligibility. The previous guide’s August 2026 date is not a confirmed 2027 deadline.
League of Canadian Poets — Lesley Strutt Poetry Contest
The League describes a recurring summer contest; exact 2027 dates are unconfirmed. The current guidelines accept poems in English, French and Innu-Aimun, making this opportunity relevant beyond English-language writers. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
League of Canadian Poets — Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Foundation Poetry Award
An opportunity for emerging poets. Check the current call for publication-history eligibility and the next deadline; no 2027 date is confirmed here.
Portal — Portent Contest
The checked page describes a 2026 script prize with an October 15, 2025 deadline. The previously listed October 2026 date could not be substantiated. A new call is needed before this is treated as an active opportunity. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
PRISM international — Creative Non-Fiction Contest
The publisher maintains the competition and directs entrants to Submittable for open calls. Its current listed entry fee is $35, with no subscription included; the former country-based fees are outdated. A 2027 closing date is not confirmed. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
Pulp Literature — Raven Short Story Contest
The latest deadline was October 15, 2026, for publication in spring 2027. The latest rules specify 250–2,500 words, rather than the 500-word minimum in the old guide. Await the next call. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
Pulp Literature — First Page Cage
The 2026 deadline was extended to October 5. The publisher’s later announcement dates contain an apparent year inconsistency; a new intake is not confirmed. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
Pulp Literature — Kingfisher Poetry Prize
The latest entry deadline was August 15, 2026. Publication in winter 2027 does not make it a 2027 submission opportunity.
Riddle Fence — Fiction and Poetry Contests
The current submissions page says the contest window is closed. Use this page for the next call instead of the old 2025 contest URL.
Room — Poetry Contest
A 2027 poetry call is not confirmed. The current page contains differing general-calendar and dated contest information, so a new dated announcement should take precedence. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
Surrey International Writers’ Conference — Writing Contest
The page says the 2026 contest is closed and mentions 2027, but retains an undated September 15 deadline within the 2026 notice. Treat the 2027 deadline as unconfirmed. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
The Writers’ Union of Canada — Short Prose Competition
The current page lists 2026 results. Eligibility includes Canadian citizenship or permanent residence and limits on previous book publication. Await a dated 2027 call. Check the official website or contact the organizer to confirm current dates and terms before applying.
Need confirmation? Where a date, opening or term is unconfirmed, check the linked official website or contact the organizer directly before applying or paying. An inaccessible page does not establish that an organization has closed.
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