The Writers’ Union of Canada has launched its 20th Annual Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers, which invites writers to submit a piece of fiction or non-fiction of up to 2,500 words in the English language that has not previously been published in any format.
A $2,500 prize will be awarded to an unpublished Canadian writer, and the entries of the winner and finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines for consideration.
The deadline for entries is March 1, 2013.
The Union initiated the Short Prose Competition in 1993 in honour of its 20th anniversary. The Competition aims to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of short prose.
“Every year the Short Prose Competition has yielded some superb entries,” notes the union’s executive director John Degen.
“Previous finalists and winners have included such luminaries as Alexander MacLeod, Shauna Singh Baldwin, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, and Lewis DeSoto.”
The union is proud to announce an esteemed group of jurors for this year’s short prose competition.
A previous finalist herself, Ami McKay went on to publish the bestselling novel The Birth House, which was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
Her latest novel, The Virgin Cure, was inspired by her great-great grandmother, who was a female physician in 19th century New York.
Rosemary Nixon is the acclaimed author of two short story collections, including The Cock’s Egg, which received the Howard O’Hagan Short Fiction Award. Her debut novel, Kalila, was released to strong reviews in 2011.
Satirical and speculative fiction writer Mark A. Rayner has written novels, short stories, humorous fiction, and plays. His 2005 novel, The Amadeus Net, was long-listed for the Philip K. Dick Award.
His latest release, Pirate Therapy and Other Cures, is a collection of short stories, essays, and flash fiction.
The competition is open to Canadian residents who have not had a book published by a commercial or university press and who do not have a contract with a book publisher.
Submissions should be sent along with a $29 entry fee per submission to The Writers’ Union of Canada at 90 Richmond St. East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1P1, by March 1, 2013.
The winner will be announced in May. For complete rules and regulations, go to http://www.writersunion.ca/short-prose.
The Writers’ Union of Canada is the national organization representing professional book authors.
Founded in 1973, the union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well-being of all writers.
For more information, visit www.writersunion.ca.