Established in 1993 in honour of the Union’s 20th anniversary, the Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers aims to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of short prose in order to provide opportunity and exposure to developing writers.

A $2,500 prize is awarded to a Canadian writer for the best piece of unpublished prose of up to 2,500 words in the English language. The Union submits the winning entry and those of the eleven other finalists to three Canadian magazines for consideration. In addition, the winning and finalist entries receive feedback on their submissions.

This year's jury comprises Francine Cunningham, Frances Itani, C.M., and Ian Roy. Read the full press release.

Submissions for the 2024 Short Prose Competition are now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered. The winner and finalists will be announced in late spring 2024.  If you have any questions about the submission process, please contact Program Manager, Kristina Cuenca at kcuenca@writersunion.ca.

 

Eligibility

1) Original, unpublished fiction or nonfiction up to 2,500 words in the English language.
2) Writers who have had no more than one book published (traditionally or self-published) in any genre and who are not currently under contract for a second book.
3) Writers not published in book format are also eligible.
4) Writers must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
5) Co-authored pieces are ineligible.

How to Submit

1) Entries should by typed, double-spaced, in a clear twelve-point font, and the pages numbered on 8.5" x 11" pages, saved as either a Word document or PDF.
2) This competition is judged anonymously. Ensure your entry does not include your name or other identifying information (other than the title).
3) Payment will be made online on Submittable when uploading your entry. Multiple entries are accepted, $29 per entry.
4) Payment may be made through PayPal or by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, or American Express).
5) Entries must be received electronically by 11:59 pm PST on February 26, 2024.

Short Prose Competition Winners