Writing Contest

The SiWC Writing Contest is now CLOSED for 2026.

 

Winners will be announced the evening of Friday, October 23, 2026. Best of luck to all who entered!

  • Cost: $15/entry. Deadline: September 15. All entries must be emailed by midnight, September 15. No late entries will be considered.
  • We look forward to reading your contest entries for SiWC 2027!
  • Winners will be announced at the Friday banquet.
  • First prize: $1000, and submitted to Pulp Literature for publication, subject to editorial review
  • Honourable Mention: $150, and submitted to Pulp Literature for publication, subject to editorial review
  • Open to all writers except SiWC paid staff, board members, and immediate families.
  • Young writers are welcome to enter, but must be aware that their work will be judged blind among submissions made by adult writers.
  • Please read the contest rules below before entering. Questions? Email contest coordinator kcdyer at contest@siwc.ca.

 

Email Entries ONLY

 

To enter, first pay for your entry online using the PayPal button below, filing out the two required information fields first. Once you have paid, you may email your entry to contest@siwc.ca

Your name:
Title of your work:

 

Contest Rules and Regulations

 

  • Short stories in any genre are welcome. Story length must be 2,500 – 4000 words.
  • Manuscript format: standard format: double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial font, 1″ margins, indented paragraphs, footer with page number and title only. Blind submissions only— the author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Submit as a .docx or .pdf file.
  • Cover page, to be attached as a separate document: includes title, author’s name, address, email address, phone number and word length. All contact information is held in strict confidence.
  • Email your entry to ‘contest @siwc.ca’. Each entry must include TWO [2] documents: the manuscript, formatted as noted above; and the cover page. 
  • All entries will be acknowledged by return email.
  • To pay for your contest entry by credit card or PayPal, please use the PayPal button on the Contest Page, and be sure to note the author’s name and title. Paypal will process your payment and send you a receipt by email.
  • PayPal payments must be submitted individually, one per entry. Remember to push the button only once for each entry, or you may be charged twice. Refunds are not available.
  • Please note, entries may only submitted via email. There is no mailing address or drop off point for hard copies.
  • All submissions must contain original material, and may not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or have been a winner in another contest prior to the deadline. Entries will be scanned, and disqualified for AI-generated content.
  • Please note our internet policy: If a work has been briefly excerpted anywhere on the internet it is still eligible as an entry, but if it has been published or posted in its entirety on a blog or any other internet site, it is not eligible for our contest, as we retain right of first publication as a part of our mandate. Winning entries will be published in Pulp Literature subject to editorial review.
  • Short-listed writers will be notified in early October.
  • Judges and conference/contest organizers cannot comment on individual entries.
  • Enter as many pieces as you like, at $15 for each entry.
  • Winners will be informed before the conference in October. Prizes will be awarded at the Friday night Awards Ceremony. Winners will be listed on the website as soon as possible after the conference.
  • Submission implies the author is granting first right of publication to the SiWC. Rights then revert to the author.
  • Entering the contest grants the SIWC the right to publish the entrant’s name on the SIWC website, should the entrant be short-listed for, or win, a SIWC writing contest prize. The SIWC privacy policy link can be found at the bottom of every page on the site.