The 2024 CBC Short Story Prize is now closed. Results will be announced in the spring.
Keep reading to learn about the prize, what you can submit and what you can win!
Who can enter?
The prize is open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
There is no age requirement, but if you are a minor, there is a box to check on the entry form. You will need a parent or guardian’s signed authorization only if your entry makes the longlist.
What can you submit?
You can submit original, unpublished fiction that is up to 2,500 words. There is no minimum word requirement.
Work that has been published online or in print or recorded for broadcast is considered “previously published” and is not eligible.
While the competition is active, submit online by creating an account through Submittable. A fee of $25.00 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.
We’re making it even easier to submit this year. You can type directly in the text box or copy and paste your work into the Submittable text box. There’s no need to upload a separate file.
You may submit as many times as you like, but each entry will require the $25 submission fee.
What can you win?
The winner will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre and have their work published on CBC Books.
“As much as a residency is about your individual practice, it can also be about building your writing community,” two-time CBC Literary Prize winner Chanel M. Sutherland told CBC Books about her residency. “Before I knew it, I’d become part of a community of writers who to this day continue to inspire and support me.”
“My visit let me recommit to trying to carve out pieces of time in my life for writing. I came home thinking, ‘How do I do that at home?’ It’s so easy for the writing time to slip away. But I came home with a project that I now think is possible. That was the big deal,” 2016 CBC Nonfiction Prize winner Leslie A. Davidson told CBC Books after completing her residency.
Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their story published on CBC Books. And all the longlisted writers will be featured on CBC Books.
Who is judging the prize?
A team of readers from across Canada will read the entries and determine the longlist. The shortlist and winner will be decided by a jury comprised of Suzette Mayr, Kevin Chong and Ashley Audrain.
The judging process is blind, so your name will not be known by the readers or jurors until the final decisions have been made.
We have different readers and jurors every year. The readers will be revealed in fall 2023. The jurors will be announced in October 2023.
“For the last few years submitting a story to the CBC competition has become an annual ritual,” 2023 CBC Short Story Prize winner Will Richter told CBC Books.
Recent past CBC Short Story Prize jurors include Kim Fu, Norma Dunning and Steven Price; Omar El Akkad, Casey Plett and David Bergen; and Lee Maracle, Souvankham Thammavongsa and Craig Davidson.
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Kevin Chong speaks with Gloria Macarenko about the nomination for his book ‘The Double Life of Benson Yu’ and being a judge for the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize.
Who has won before?
The winner of the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize will join some esteemed company!
Last year’s winner was Vancouver writer Will Richter for his story Just a Howl. Richter’s winning story was selected from over 2,300 entries.
“I was completely floored to hear that my story was this year’s winner. I’ve been following and submitting to the CBC Short Story Prize contest for years, and to win it is hugely exciting and encouraging. I really want to thank all of the judges who saw something in my story among so many others,” Richter told CBC Books.
The CBC Literary Prizes have been recognizing Canadian writers since 1979.
Other past CBC Literary Prize winners include David Bergen, Michael Ondaatje, Carol Shields and Michael Winter.
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Author Will Richter talks to As It Happens host Nil Köksal about his story Just a Howl, which won the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize.
What if I need help?
“Having a clear goal will help you become a better writer. Working under constraints like deadlines and word limits can often jump start your motivation to write and stir up creative energy,” 2021 winner Corinna Chong told CBC Books.
Make sure to subscribe to the CBC Short Story Prize newsletter for writing tips and support along the way. We will send you writing tips, tricks and prompts every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday while the CBC Short Story Prize is open.
You should also consider joining our Canada Writes Facebook group! It’s a place where writers across Canada can connect with each other, support each other and even offer each other feedback.
Anything else I need to know?
The 2024 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January and the 2024 CBC Poetry Prize will open in April.
If you’re looking to submit to the French short story prize, you can enter here.
You can see the complete rules and regulations here.
If you are a writing group, library, school or bookstore who wants to let your community know about the CBC Literary Prizes, you can download a poster here.
Have questions? Check out our frequently asked questions or email us at canadawrites@cbc.ca.
