Spring Contests for Writers

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Catherine Austen

I am back after a 2-month blogging break, and I’m bringing the best intentions of posting weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or whenever I remember from this point onward.

(To those who wonder, “If I lay off blogging and Facebook for 2 months, will I free up enough time to write a masterpiece?” my guess is “No, but you will reach the ‘expert’ level in Sudoku.”)

There’s a whole new batch of writing contests with looming deadlines you should know about:

For young writers:

The Writer’s Trust of Canada is hosting a non-fiction student writing contest for pieces of 1,000-2,000 words. With cash prizes for students and their schools. Deadline March 31^st, 2015. For details, visit The Writers’ Trust.
Alberta students in grades 4-9 can enter their short stories and graphic stories for the Martyn Godfrey Young Writers Award. Prizes includes books, author visits and e-readers. Deadline March 31st. For details, visit the Young Alberta Book Society
Aboriginal students in Ontario can submit their creative writing to the James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Awards. Up to six winners can receive this annual award of $2,500. Deadline May 31st. Learn more from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship.
Finish a story in 400 words to win the “Next World Literacy Contest.” Open to Canadian students in grades 5-8. Deadline April 3^rd. For details, visit World Literacy Canada.
The annual PBS Kids’ Writing Contest is on now, open to children in grades K-3 in the USA. Submit your stories and illustrations through your local PBS station before April 10^th, 2015. For details, visit PBS.
US students in grades 11 and 12 can enter the 19th annual Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest on GB Shaw’s Pygmalion. Deadline April 14th. For details, visit Penguin.
The Royal Canadian Legion has contests for youth (art and literature) every year. Deadlines vary with local branches. Check out the national information on the Legion’s website.

If you’re a young adult just a tad too old to quality for the kids’ contests, try the PEN International/New Voices Award. Open to unpublished writers aged 18-30 via submissions to their local PEN chapter. Deadlines (from now to May 22nd) vary by country. Canadian deadline April 26th. For information, visit PEN Canada (or your national PEN chapter).

For adults of any age who write for children, the Helen Isobel Sissons Canadian Children’s Story Award is accepting submissions for just a few more days. Original stories reflecting global diversity written for young children (especially up to age 7, i.e., stories not chapter books) will be received until March 20th. For details, visit the PACE Canada website.

And that’s it for now. I hope to return Friday with a fable.

Good luck!