Contests – National Magazine Awards

2019 Writing Contest Guide, Contests, Creator Resources, Guide to Canadian Literary Magazines, Magazine Industry, National Magazine Awards, NMAF News, Uncategorized, Writer Resources

2019 Canadian Magazine Writing Contests: The Ultimate Guide

Just in time for Spring, our annual Writing Contest Listing is back!

What inspires your sense of the world? What’s your penchant for endings? Whatever your approach to the craft–and whether fiction, poetry, memoir –you’ll find plenty of outlets for your stories in Canadian magazines. Be inspired to create your next work of poetry, fiction or personal essay. Take the opportunity to finish your latest literary creation and submit it to a Canadian magazine writing contest.

All contests and awards listed below accept previously unpublished works of Canadian poetry, short fiction and creative non-fiction. If you know of one that we missed, please let us know or Tweet at us @MagAwards. And check out our Canadian Literary Magazine Guide for other ideas for where to submit your work.

And for more inspiration, check out the National Magazine Awards Archive, with hundreds of winning and nominated stories and poems to read.

Grain Magazine
Short Grain Contest
Deadline: April 5, 2019
Prize: $1000 (1st); $750 (2nd); $500 (3rd); publication
Entry Fee: $40 for up to two entries; includes registration + subscription

Contemporary Verse 2
CV2 2-Day Poem Contest
Deadline: April 12, 2019
Prize: $500 (1st); $300 (2nd); $150 (3rd); publication
Entry Fee: $26; includes registration + subscription (registration only is $16)

Vallum
The Vallum Chapbook Award 2019
Deadline: April 30, 2019
1st Prize: Publication + $300
Entry fees: $25 CDN for Canadian entrants

Pulp Literature Magazine Contests:

The Magpie Award for Poetry
Deadline: 15 April 2019
Winner notified: 15 May 2019
Winners published in: Issue 24, Autumn 2019
First Prize: $500 and a 1-year subscription to Duotrope ($50 value).

The Hummingbird Flash Fiction Prize
Open: 1 May-June 15, 2019
Winner notified: 15 July 2019
Winner published in: Issue 25, Winter 2020
Prize: $300
Entry fee: $15
This contest is for previously unpublished works of fiction up to 1000 words in length.

The Malahat Review
The Malahat Review Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction
Genre: Fiction (max 3500 words)
Deadline: May 1, 2019
Prize: $1,000; publication
Entry Fee: $25 (additional entries are $15); includes subscription

Dreamers Creative Writing
Haiku Contest 2019
Deadline: May 13, 2019
Entry Fee: $10 (includes an electronic copy of Dreamers Magazine Issue 1)
Prize: $120 to the first place winner
The winner will receive $120 CAD ($100 prize + $20 honorarium), 2 copies of our magazine (1 print, 1 electronic), and 2 special Dreamers keychains on which the winning poem will be printed.
Submit up to 3 Haiku per entry; enter as many times as you want.

SubTerrain
17th Annual Lush Triumphant Literary Awards
Deadline: May 15, 2019
Fiction: Maximum 3,000 words
Poetry: A suite of 5 related poems (maximum 15 pages)
Creative Non-Fiction: (Based on fact, adorned w/fiction) maximum 4,000 words
Prize: $1000
Entry Fee: $30

T he Canadian Stories
11th Contest for Short Stories, Poetry, and Black & White Line Art.
Deadline: May 15, 2019
True Stories $350
Creative Non-Fiction    $350
Fiction $350
Poetry    $200
Lest We Forget $350
Black & White Line Art $350
First Honourable Mention    $100
Second Honourable Mention $50
Notification approximately August 1, 2019.
Entry Fee: $20

Room Magazine Contests:

Creative Non-Fiction | Open April 1 – June
First Prize: $500 + publication in Room
Second Prize: $250 + publication in Room
Honourable Mention: $50 publication on Room‘s website
Entry fee includes a one-year subscription to Room, beginning with issue 42.3 (September 2019).

Poetry| Open June 15 – August 15
First Prize: $1,000 + publication in Room
Second Prize: $250 + publication in Room
Honourable Mention: $50 publication on Room’swebsite
Entry fee includes a one-year subscription to Room, beginning with issue 42.4 (December 2019).

Short Forms | September 1 – November 1
First Prize: $500 + publication (2 prizes)
Honourable Mention: $50 publication on Room’swebsite

Cover Art| November 15 – January 15
First Prize: $500 + publication on the cover of Room 42.2
Second Prize: $50 + publication in Room 42.2
Honourable Mention: publication on Room’swebsite

Prism International Contests:

The Grouse Grind Lit Prize for V. Short Forms
Deadline: May 15, 2019
$500 Grand Prize, $150 runner-up, $50 2nd runner-up
Entry fee: $15 for all entries. Option to pay an additional fee to include a subscription (or an extension of an existing subscription) with your contest entry.
Max. word count: 300 words.

Creative Non-Fiction Contest
Open: May 2019 – July 31, 2019
Grand Prize: $1,500
Second Prize: $600 runner-up
2^nd runner-up: $400
Entry fee: $35 Canadian entries (includes a one-year subscription or extension)
Additional entry: $5 per piece
Max. word count: 6,000

Annual Earle Birney Prize for Poetry
An annual prize of $500 awarded by the outgoing Poetry Editor to an outstanding poetry contributor published in PRISM international.
Enter by regular submission only: no fee required.

The New Quarterly
The Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award
Deadline: May 28, 2019
One top prize including $1000 and a one-year Duotrope Gift Certificate (a USD $50 value) will be awarded for one work of short fiction (no word limit).
Entry fee: $40 per piece (includes a 1-year Canadian subscription or renewal to The New Quarterly).

CBC Canada Writes Poetry Prize
Contest Opens: April 1, 2019
Deadline: May 31, 2019
Prize: The winner will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and will have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Their winning submission will be published on CBC Books. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their poetry published on CBC Books.
Entry Fee: $25

Eden Mills Writers Festival Read at the Fringe
Deadline: May 31, 2019
Contest Categories:
Prose: 2500 words maximum, double-spaced
Poetry: Up to five poems, five pages maximum, single-spaced
Prizes: Winners selected in each category will be invited to read at the EMWF on Festival Sunday (September 8, 2019), and will be treated to all the perks of attending the festival as an author, including access to the author hospitality suite, and an invitation to the festival’s gala dinner for authors.
Entry Fee: $15

Eden Mills Writers Festival Literary Contest
Deadline: May 31, 2019
Contest Categories:
Short Story: 2500 words maximum
Poetry: A poem or collection, no more than five poems
Creative Non-Fiction: 2500 words maximum
Prizes: The best entry in each category will win a $250 prize. Winning entries will be published on the EMWF website and the names of the winners will be included in the festival weekend program.
Entry Free: $15

The Fiddlehead
Creative Nonfiction Contest
Deadline: June 3, 2019
Prize: $2000
Entry Fee: The fee for first entry is $30. Additional entries after that first contest entry (to either contest category) are $10.

Prairie Fire
Banff Centre Bliss Carman Poetry Award, Short Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction Contests
Deadline: November 30, 2019
1st prize $1,250
2nd prize $500
3rd prize $250
Entry Fee: $32

The Surrey International Writer’s Conference
The Surrey International Writer’s Conference (SIWC) Writing Contest
Deadline: September 21, 2019
First prize: $1000 plus publication
Honourable Mention: $150 plus publication
Cost: $15/entry

Soul
Disabled writers in Canada (including but not limited those who are physically/invisibly disabled, d/Deaf, blind, neurodivergent, chronically ill or suffering from mental health issues)
Monthly Literary Prize dedicated to underrepresented writers in Canada.
Genres: Poetry/Prose/Fiction/Creative Non-Fiction
There are no themes. There is no minimum or maximum word count. There is no submission fee. Only non-published work (print or online).
One submission per month, & you are eligible to win the top prize once every twelve months. You are eligible for a maximum of two prizes every twelve months.
Awards:
$1000 for the top prize.
$300 for the second prize.
$150 for the third prize.
All winning pieces will be published online at http://shootforthemoon.art

Spark
QT2S / BIPOC (Queer / Trans, 2 Spirit and/or Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) Monthly Literary Prize dedicated to underrepresented writers in Canada.
Genres: Poetry/Prose/Fiction/Creative Non-Fiction
There are no themes. There is no minimum or maximum word count. There is no submission fee. Only non-published work (print or online).
One submission per month, & you are eligible to win the top prize once every twelve months. You are eligible for a maximum of two prizes every twelve months.
Awards:
$1000 for the top prize.
$300 for the second prize.
$150 for the third prize.
All winning pieces will be published online at http://shootforthemoon.art

Did we miss one? Send us a note or grab us on Twitter @MagAwards. We’ll update this post throughout the spring and summer as more contests are announced.

Contests, Creator Resources, Guide to Canadian Literary Magazines, Magazine Industry, Writer Resources

A Writer’s Guide to Canadian Literary Magazines & Journals

They publish much of Canada’s best poetry and prose. The writers whose creative work appears in their pages range from established icons of Canadian literary arts–such as Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood and Lynn Coady, to name just a few–to new writers published for the first time.

They are Canada’s literary magazines, and they are not only a source of reading pleasure, but also a critical part of our country’s culture and a forum for literary artists across the land.

The following list, an A-to-Z guide to Canadian literary periodicals and their submissions guidelines, compiled by the National Media Awards Foundation, focuses on those magazines that currently publish short fiction, poetry and/or creative (aka literary) non-fiction. Many also accept submissions for essays, literary criticism, reviews, interviews, graphic narratives and visual art. And many have won National Magazine Awards. If we missed any, tell us via Twitter @MagAwards or contact us by email.

Acta Victoriana
Published in: Ontario (Victoria University, Toronto)
Founded: 1878
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Antigonish Review, The
Published in: Nova Scotia (St. Francis Xavier University)
Founded: 1970
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Articles, Reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1
Submissions Guidelines

Arc Poetry Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 1978
Genres: Poetry, Reviews, Essays
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 5 (most recently: Louise Halfe, Silver Medal, Poetry, 2015)
NMA Nominations: 23
Submission Guidelines

Artery, The
Published in: Ontario (Lakehead University)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Plays
Issues per Year: 1-2
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission Guidelines

Ascent Aspirations
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 1997
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: Online, with annual anthology
National Magazine Award Nominations: 0
Submissions Guidelines

Augur Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2016
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Comics/Graphic Fiction
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: 0
Submissions Guidelines

Baldhip
Published in: Canada
Founded: 2014 Genres: Poetry, Visual ArtIssues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 0
Submissions Guidelines

Brick
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 1977
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 5 (most recently: Linda Spalding, Silver Medal, One of a Kind, 2013)
NMA Nominations: 13
Submission Guidelines

Broken Pencil
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 1995
Genres: Fiction, Reviews, Interviews, Zine Culture
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 2
Submission Guidelines

Bywords.ca
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 1990
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: Monthly (online)
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Canadian Literature
Published in: British Columbia (Univ. of British Columbia)
Founded: 1959
Genres: Poetry, Reviews
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

CNQ: Canadian Notes & Queries
Published in: Ontario (Windsor)
Founded: 1968
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Essays
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 2 (most recently: Russell Smith, Gold Medal, Fiction, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 4
Submission Guidelines

Canadian Poetry
Published in: Ontario (Univ. of Western Ontario)
Founded: 1977
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission Guidelines

Canthius Journal
Published in: Canada
Founded: 2015 (debut issue Fall 2015)
Genres: Poetry & Prose (from women and genderqueer writers)
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission Guidelines

Capilano Review, The
Published in: British Columbia (Capilano University, Vancouver)
Founded: 1972
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Visual Arts, Interviews
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 4 (most recently: Weyman Chan, Silver Medal, Poetry, 2001)
NMA Nominations: 12
Submission Guidelines

Carousel
Published in: Ontario (University of Guelph)
Founded: 1983
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 1 (Julie Bruck, Gold Medal, Poetry, 1998)
NMA Nominations: 3
Submission Guidelines

Carte Blanche
Published in: Quebec (Quebec Writers’ Federation, Montreal)
Founded: 2004
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Cede Poetry
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 2015
Genre: Poetry
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Claremont Review, The Claremont_Review
Published in: British Columbia (Victoria)
Founded: 1992
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Contemporary Verse 2
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 1975
Genres: Poetry, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 2
Submission Guidelines

Cosmonauts Avenue
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Interviews, Essays, Visual Arts, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 11
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Dalhousie Review, The
Published in: Nova Scotia (Dalhousie University, Halifax)
Founded: 1921
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Essays
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Danforth Review, The
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 1999
Genres: Fiction
Issues per Year: 8 (online)
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Dorchester Review, The
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 2011
Genres: Reviews, Essays, Translations
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Echolocation
Published in: Ontario (Univ. of Toronto)
Founded: 2003
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Drama, Reviews, Visual Arts
Issues per year: 1-2
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission Guidelines

Eighteen Bridges
Published in: Alberta (University of Alberta, Edmonton)
Founded: 2011
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Essays, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 2-3
National Magazine Awards: 12 (most recently: Lisa Gregoire, Gold Medal, Essays, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 39
Submission Guidelines

Event
Published in: British Columbia (Douglas College)
Founded: 1971
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Creative Non-fiction
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 12 (most recently: Bill Gaston, Gold Medal, Fiction, 2011)
NMA Nominations: 45
Submission Guidelines

Existere
Published in: Ontario (York University, Toronto)
Founded: 1978
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Creative Non-fiction, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Exit, revue de poésie
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 1995
Genres: Poetry, Reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

ELQ: Exile, the Literary Quarterly
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 1972
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Drama
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Feathertale Review, The
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Humour, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Poetry, Cartoons
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 5 (most recently: Jacob Pacey, Gold Medal, Humour, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 10
Submission Guidelines

Fiddlehead, The
Published in: New Brunswick (University of New Brunswick, Fredericton)
Founded: 1945
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 2 (most recently: Shane Neilson, Silver Medal, Poetry, 2011)
NMA Nominations: 13
Submission Guidelines

filling Station
Published in: Alberta (Calgary)
Founded: 1993
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Reviews, Interviews, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1
Submissions Guidelines

Freefall
Published in: Alberta (Lit. Society of Calgary)
Founded: 1990
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Geez
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 2007
Genres: Creative Non-fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Journalism, Photography
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Geist
Published in: British Columbia (The Geist Foundation, Vancouver)
Founded: 1990
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 6 (most recently: Karen Connelly, Gold Medal, Poetry, 2012)
NMA Nominations: 16
Submission Guidelines

Glass Buffalo
Published in: Alberta (Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton)
Founded: 2012
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1
Submissions Guidelines

Grain
Published in: Saskatchewan (Sask. Writers’ Guild, Saskatoon)
Founded: 1973
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 4 (most recently: Ayelet Tsabari, Silver Medal, One of a Kind, 2012)
NMA Nominations: 28
Submission Guidelines

GUTS: Canadian Feminist Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2012
Genres: Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Essays, New Media
Issues per Year: Biannual, plus regular online content
National Magazine Awards Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Hamilton Arts & Letters
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 2008
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Hart House Review
Published in: Ontario (Univ. of Toronto)
Founded: 1991
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: 0
Submissions Guidelines

Hazlitt
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 2012
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Issues per Year: Online (1 print edition per year)
National Magazine Awards: 11 (most recently: Sasha Chapin, Gold Medal, Personal Journalism, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 37
Submission Guidelines

Humber Literary Review, The
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Essays, Art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1 (Personal Journalism, 2016)
Submission Guidelines

Impressment Gang, The
Published in: Nova Scotia (Halifax)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Reviews
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

In/Words
Published in: Ontario (Carleton University, Ottawa)
Founded: 2001
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 2-3
National Magazine Awards Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Lettres québécoises
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 1976
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Literary Review of Canada, The
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 1991
Genres: Poetry, Essays, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 10
National Magazine Award Nominations: 6
Submission Guidelines

Little Brother
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 2012
Genres: Fiction, Essays, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award: 1 (Jess Taylor, Gold Medal, Fiction, 2013)
NMA Nominations: 7
Submission Guidelines

Mackinac, The
Published in: Online
Founded: 2013
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 3-4
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission guidelines

MacroMicroCosm
Published in: British Columbia
Founded: 2015
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 4 (online)
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission guidelines

Maisonneuve
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2003
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Reviews, Journalism, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 39 (most recently: Magazine of the Year 2016)
NMA Nominations: 144
Submission Guidelines

Malahat Review, The
Published in: British Columbia (University of Victoria)
Founded: 1967
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 28 (most recently: Liz Windhorst Harmer, Gold Medal, Personal Journalism, 2013)
NMA Nominations: 84
Submission Guidelines

Maple Tree Literary Supplement
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Film, Visual Arts, Literary photography, Author interviews
Issues Per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Matrix
Published in: Quebec (Concordia University, Montreal)
Founded: 1975
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Reviews
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Maynard, The
Published in: British Columbia
Founded: 2008
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: Online
National Magazine Award Nominations None
Submissions Guidelines

Montreal Review, The Montreal_400x400
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2009
Genres: Non-Fiction, Book Review
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations None
Submissions Guidelines

Mystery Weekly
Published in: Ontario (Ancaster)
Founded: 2015
Genres: Fiction (crime + mystery)
Issues per Year: 12
National Magazine Awards Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Nashwaak Review, The
Published in: New Brunswick (St. Thomas Univ.)
Founded: 1994
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

New Quarterly, The
Published in: Ontario (St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo)
Founded: 1981
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 15 (most recently: Tamas Dobozy, Gold Medal, Fiction, 2014)
NMA Nominations: 52
Submission Guidelines

NōD
Published In: Alberta (U. of Calgary)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Reviews, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission Guidelines

Northern Appeal, The
Published In: Ontario (Simcoe County and Muskoka)
Founded: 2016
Genres: Poetry, Short Stories, Photography, and Visual Art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission Guidelines

Northword
Published in: Alberta (Fort McMurray)
Founded: 2012
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: 0
Submissions Guidelines

Nouveau Projet
Published in: Quebec (Atelier 10, Montreal)
Founded: 2012
Genres: Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Poetry, Essays, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 5 (Most recently: 2015 Magazine of the Year)
NMA Nominations: 18
Submission Guidelines

On Spec OnSpec_front
Published in: Alberta (Edmonton)
Founded: 1989
Genres: Fiction, Poetry,
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

One Throne
Published in: Yukon (Dawson City)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1 (Essays, 2016)
Submission Guidelines

Open Minds Quarterly
Published in: Ontario (Sudbury)
Founded: 1998
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Reviews, Personal Essays (on the subject of of mental health recovery)
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

ottawater
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 2005
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

PACE Magazine PACEMag
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 2016
Genres: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Reviews, Photography, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

paperplates
Published in: Online
Founded: —
Genres: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, Reviews
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

(parenthetical)
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 2014
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Issues per Year: 6
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Petal Journal
Published in: Ontario (Toronto); an online journal of female perspectives
Founded: 2015
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: Continuously (online)
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Plenitude
Published in: British Columbia (Victoria)
Founded: 2012
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Graphic Narrative
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Poetry is Dead
Published in: British Columbia (Burnaby)
Founded: 2009
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Polymath
Published in: British Columbia
Founded: 2015
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 4 (online)
National Magazine Awards: None
Submission guidelines

Prairie Fire
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 1978
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Interviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 14 (most recently: Harold Hoefle, Silver Medal, Poetry, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 47
Submission Guidelines

Prairie Journal
Published in: Alberta (Calgary)
Founded: 1983
Genres: Poetry, Short Fiction, Drama, Literary Criticism
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: 2
Submissions Guidelines

PRISM International
Published in: British Columbia (University of British Columbia)
Founded: 1959
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Drama, Interviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 12 (most recently: Jody Smiling, Silver Medal, Essays, 2014)
NMA Nominations: 28
Submission Guidelines

Pulp Literature
Published in: British Columbia
Founded: 2014
Genres: Short Stories, Novellas, Novel Excerpts and Graphic Novel Shorts
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Puritan, The
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 2006
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Queen’s Quarterly
Published in: Ontario (Queen’s University, Kingston)
Founded: 1893
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 11 (most recently: Nick Mount, Silver Medal, Arts & Entertainment, 2008)
NMA Nominations: 44
Submission Guidelines

Quilliad, The
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2013
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

QWERTY
Published in: New Brunswick (UNB)
Founded: 1996
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction; Reviews, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Rampike
Published in: Ontario (Univ. of Windsor)
Founded: 1979
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Rhubarb
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 1970
Genres: Creative Non-fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Visual Art, with a focus on Canada’s Mennonite communities
Issues per Year: 2-3
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Ricepaper
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 1995
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 5
Submission Guidelines

Riddle Fence
Published in: Newfoundland & Labrador
Founded: 2009
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Room
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 1975
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Interviews, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 2
Submission Guidelines

Rusty Toque, The
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 2011
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Graphic Narratives
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1 (Poetry, 2016)
Submission Guidelines

Scarborough Fair
Published in: Ontario (Univ. of Toronto, Scarborough)
Founded: 1967
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: 0
Submissions Guidelines

Spadina Literary Review
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2011
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Artwork, Comics
Issues per Year: 6
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

sub-Terrain
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 1992
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Reviews, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 2 (most recently: Zsuzsi Gartner, Silver Medal, Fiction, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 7
Submission Guidelines

Taddle Creek
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 1997
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 1 (Michael Cho, Silver Medal, Words & Pictures, 2007)
NMA Nominations: 15
Submission Guidelines

THIS Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Red Maple Foundation, Toronto)
Founded: 1966
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Essays, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 6
National Magazine Awards: 19 (most recently: Min Gyo Chung, Silver Medal, Illustration, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 85
Submission Guidelines

Touch the Donkey
Published in:
Founded: 2014
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 1
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Understory Magazine
Published in: Nova Scotia (Halifax & Lunenberg)
Founded: 2013
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Spoken Word
Issues per Year: 2-3
NMA Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

untethered
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction and Visual Art.
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submissions Guidelines

Vallum
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2000
Genres: Poetry, Reviews, Essays, Interviews
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 2 (most recently: David McGuimpsey, Gold Medal, Poetry, 2016)
NMA Nominations: 8
Submission Guidelines

Windsor Review
Published in: Ontario (University of Windsor)
Founded: 1965
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction, Interviews, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

Winnipeg Review, The
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 2010
Genres: Poetry, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 4 (online)
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

XYZ, La Revue
Published in: Quebec (Ville Saint-Laurent)
Founded: 1985
Genres: Fiction, Reviews, Interviews
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: None
Submission Guidelines

In addition to the above list, many of Canada’s news, general-interest and arts magazines publish fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction, including but not limited to Border Crossings, The Walrus, Toronto Life, Boulderpavement, Inroads, Newfoundland Quarterly, Ottawa Magazine, Georgia Strait, Alberta Views.

See also these great guides to entering Canadian magazine writing contests:
Your Guide to Fall Magazine Writing Contests
Your Guide to Summer Magazine Writing Contests
Your Guide to Winter/Spring Magazine Writing Contests

Read all about this year’s National Magazine Award winners, which included medals by literary magazines Arc Poetry Magazine, Event, Hazlitt, Little Brother, Prairie Fire, PRISM International, sub-Terrain, The Feathertale Review, The New Quarterly, Vallum and Maisonneuve, which won Magazine of the Year.

Contests, Magazine Industry, News & Events

Quebec Writing Competition open for entries

The annual Quebec Writing Competition, supported by Maisonneuve and CBC Canada Writes, is accepting submissions for its 2013 awards. Entries may be fiction or non-fiction, previously unpublished, with a maximum of 1200 words. Participation is limited to residents of Quebec. The submission deadline is May 1.

The first-prize winner will receive a cash prize of $1500, have their work published in Maisonneuve and broadcast on CBC Radio’s Cinq à Six; the second-prize winner will receive $1000, have their work published on Maisonneuve‘s website and broadcast on CBC.

There will also be one Readers’s Choice winner who will receive $300 and a broadcast of their work. All three winners will be published in a CBC Canada Writes anthology.

The winners will be announced at the QWF Literary Awards Gala in November, 2013.