CBC Books has compiled a list of some of the writing contests open to young Canadians.
Below, where prizes are listed, the amount cited is for the grand prize — other prizes may be available. Information is subject to change — please see the contest’s official site for more details.
Do you run a writing competition that is open to youth in Canada? Email us at cbcbooks@cbc.ca to let us know.
Entry period: Spring
Eligibility: Grade 4 to 9 students in Alberta
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $500 Visa gift card and $500 bookstore gift certificate for teachers
Alice Munro Festival Short Story Competition
Entry period: Winter/Spring
Eligibility: Canadians up to 19 years of age
Entry fee: $10
Prize: $500
Amazon Youth Short Story Competition
Entry period: Winter
Eligibility: Canadians between the ages of 13 and 17
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $5,000 and a mentorship lunch with editors of The Walrus
Entry period: Fall
Eligibility: Grade 7 to 12 students in Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: One-year OwlCrate subscription and 50 books for your school library
Dandelion Press Microfiction Contest
Entry period: Contests are run every few months
Eligibility: Open to all ages worldwide
Entry fee: Free
Prize: Publication on Dandelion Press’s website and $100 gift certificate for Dandelion Press merchandise.
Habitat for Humanity’s Meaning of Home Contest
Entry period: Winter
Eligibility: Grade 4 to 6 students in Canada
Entry fee: $10
Prize: $25,000 grant to direct to a local Habitat build of their choosing, an iPad and a pizza party for their classroom
Entry period: Winter/spring
Eligibility: Open to Canadians of Indigenous ancestry between the ages of 6 and 29
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $2,000 for the winner of the ages 14-18 category, $100 for the winners of the ages 6-9 and 10-13 categories
James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Awards
Entry period: Spring
Eligibility: Indigenous writers under the age of 18 in Ontario
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $2,500
Submissions can be short stories, poems, essays or songs
Entry period: Fall to spring
Eligibility: Grade 4 to 8 students in Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: Winning entry or entries will be published as an e-book, produced at the expense of Ripple Publishing. Proceeds of the sale of the e-book will go to a charity of the writer’s choosing.
Lives that Make a Difference Essay Contest
Entry period: Winter
Eligibility: Grade 5 to 12 students in Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $3,000
Martyn Godfrey Young Writers Award
Entry period: Winter/spring
Eligibility: Grade 4 to 9 students from Alberta
Entry fee: Free
Prize: Author visit to school and books
Penguin Random House Canada/First Book Canada
Entry period: October 2019
Eligibility: Grades 5 to 8 classrooms registered with First Book Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: One class in each province or territory will win 40 copies of Greta Thunberg’s No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
Polar Expressions Short Story Contest
Entry period: Winter
Eligibility: Kindergarten to Grade 12 students in Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $100 for Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 winners, $80 for Grades 5, 6, 7, 8 winners and $60 for Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 winners
Entry period: Spring/summer
Eligibility: Quebec residents between 16 and 24 years old
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $1,000 for first prize
Submissions can be a short story, poem or work of creative nonfiction or narrative journalism written in English and published in a literary publication the previous year.
Entry period: Spring to fall
Eligibility: Canadian residents under 19
Entry fee: Free
Prize: The prize amount fluctuates year to year
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Entry period: Winter
Eligibility: Anyone over the age of 13 in Grade 7 to 12 from Canada, the U.S. or a U.S. territory
Entry fee: $5 U.S.
Prize: Scholarships range from $1,000 to $10,000
There are 29 categories that young writers and artists can enter.
Stephen Leacock Student Humorous Short Story Competition
Entry Period: Spring (deadline March 31)
Eligibility: Ontario students aged 14 to 19
Entry Fee: $5.00
Prizes: $1,000, $700 and $300, plus two tickets to the Laugh with Leacock soiree.
Story Studio’s National Cli-Fi Writing Contest
Entry period: April 2024
Eligibility: Young authors aged 9-17
Entry fee: Free
Prize: Writer’s Box ($125 value)
Story Studio’s Monthly Writing Contest
Entry period: Monthly
Eligibility: Young authors aged 5-13
Entry fee: Free
Prize: Books from Orca Book Publishers
Talking Back Awards (Shameless)
Entry period: Fall
Eligibility: Open to female/trans-identified writers ages 13-19, internationally
Entry fee: $15
Prize: $200
Vancouver Writers Fest Youth Writing Contest
Entry period: Spring
Eligibility: Grade 8 to 12 students in B.C.
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $200
Young Writers Creative Writing Contest
Entry period: Spring
Eligibility: Canadians aged 5-18
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $250
Eden Mills Writers’ Festival Poetry Contest for Teens
Entry period: Spring/Summer
Eligibility: Grade 9 to 12 students in Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $50 and a family pass to the festival
Eden Mills Writers’ Festival Poetry Contest for Children
Entry period: Spring/summer
Eligibility: Grade 1 to 8 students in Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $25 and a family pass to the festival
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
Entry period: Spring/summer
Eligibility: Open world wide to poets aged 11 to 17
Entry fee: Free
Prize: The top 15 winners have their poems printed in an anthology & the opportunity to attend a writing residency or receive mentorship from a professional poet
Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize
Entry period: Spring
Eligibility: Grade 7 to 12 students in Canada
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $400
Entry period: Summer
Eligibility: Open worldwide to all ages
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $100
Entry period: New contest every month
Eligibility: Any Canadian student enrolled in high school or CEGEP, under the age of 18.
Entry fee: Free
Prize: The winner is awarded $100 and publication in the journal Voices/Voix. Additionally, every entrant is considered for publication. If selected, the journal pays $50 per published poem.
Polar Expressions Poetry Contest
Entry period: Fall
Eligibility: Kindergarten to Grade 12 students
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $100 for Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 winners, $80 for Grades 5, 6, 7, 8 winners and $60 for Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 winners
Entry period: Spring to fall
Eligibility: Hamilton residents or residents of a neighbouring city, ages 12 to 18
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $100
Entry period: Spring/summer
Eligibility: Quebec residents between 16 and 24 years old
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $1,000 for first prize
Submissions can be a short story, poem or work of creative nonfiction or narrative journalism written in English and published in a literary publication the previous year.
Entry period: Winter
Eligibility: Open internationally to writers between the ages of 5 to 19 who are still in school
Entry fee: Free
Prize: Winning entries are published in the River of Words anthology, published every other year. Finalists and winners receive free copies of the physical anthology. Winners also receive a prize package that often comes with books, art supplies and a medal.
Talking Back Awards (Shameless)
Entry period: Fall
Eligibility: Open worldwide to female/trans-identified writers ages 13-19
Entry fee: $15
Prize: $200
Entry period: Spring
Eligibility: Open worldwide to children aged 8 to 12
Entry fee: $15 U.S.
Prize: $300 U.S.
Entry period: Fall
Eligibility: Canadians aged 5 to 18
Entry fee: Free
Prize: $60
