Contests
Accenti Magazine 7th Annual Writing Contest and 5th Annual Photo Contest Deadline: February 7, 2012. First Prize for each contest is $1000 and publication in Accenti. Second and third place winners receive $250.00 and $100.00 respectively. Winning entries will be presented at the Accenti Magazine Awards during the 14th Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival, April 18-23, 2012. The Accenti Magazine contests are open to all writers and photographers, established and emerging, worldwide. Accenti’s writing contest is open to fiction and nonfiction on any topic; and Accenti’s photo contest asks participants to “Capture an Italian Moment” anywhere in the world. Visit www.accenti.ca.
Attention Writers Aged 16-25: Open Call for Diaspora Dialogues Shorthand Zine Diaspora Dialogues is inviting young writers between 16 and 25 to submit original short-form writing (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, graphic fiction, or drama) to publish in Shorthand, our new online zine. Submission deadlines for Shorthand will be rolling. Each submission must be in by 5 pm on the 10th of the month previous to the month of publication. (February 10th for the March issue, March 10th for April issue, etc.) Please send submissions electronically to jordan@diasporadialogues.com with ‘Shorthand Open Call Submission’ in the subject line. Diaspora Dialogues supports the creation and presentation of new stories, poetry and drama that reflect the complexity of Toronto through the eyes of its richly diverse writers. For more information, please visit us here http://diasporadialogues.com/youthsite.
Calling all York Region Writers Deadline February 15, 2012. The Canadian Federation of University Women CFUW Aurora/Newmarket Club in partnership with The York Region News Group announces its 2nd annual Writing Contest. Two categories of eligibility: Residents of York Region who are between 16 and 21 and Residents of York Region who are 22 and over. Topic: A short story on Life Lessons (real or imagined); Length: 750 words maximum. Entry fee is $5 for 16 – 21 and $10 for 22 and over. Cash prizes of $400, $300 and $200 in each category. Winning stories to be printed in The Era/The Banner. Winner and two runners-up announced in April 2012. Click on www.cfuwauroranewmarket.ca to download entry form and contest rules. (CFUW Aurora/Newmarket members and employees of the York Region News Group and their immediate families may not enter.)
Expatriate Travel Writing Contest Deadline: February 15, 2012 Genre: Nonfiction. Details: 1,000-3,000 words, creative travel essays about living and working abroad. Prizes: $500, $150, $100 plus publication. URL: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/information/writers/expatriate_writing_contest.shtml
Sleepytown Press is looking for a new voice in Fiction Deadline: February 24. The Contest will award two grand prizes: one for Fiction and one for Children’s Picture Books. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Sleepytown Press at no cost to the winners. Although Sleepytown Press is a subsidy publisher, the contest winners will not be asked to pay any fees for publication and will receive both author copies as a prize and royalties on sales. Give us a pitch for your book. Imagine that you are on an elevator and the door just closed. Someone said, “Hey, I heard that your book just came out! What is it about?” You have about the amount of time that it takes to get to your floor in that elevator to tell us about your book. Make it no longer than 250 – 300 words. Online/electronic entries: Yes, required E-mail: sleepytownpress@yahoo.com Website: http://www.sleepytownpress.com/contests.html
Grain Magazine’s 24th Annual Short Grain (with Variations) Writing Contest Deadline: April 1, 2012 (postmarked). Grain awards $4,500 in cash prizes! Winning entries will be published in the pages of Grain. The entry fee is $35 which includes a FREE one-year subscription to Grain Magazine. Our judges are counted among Canada’s finest writers. One entry fee allows you to enter a maximum of two entries in either of two categories: Poetry in any form to a maximum of 100 lines; Short Fiction in any style to a maximum of 2500 words. Grain is the most exciting literary magazine on the Canadian and international scene…the one that everyone wants to be published in. Recent issues have featured the work of such literary luminaries as Xi Chuan, Tim Lilburn, Guy Maddin, Miriam Toews, Zsuzsi Gartner, and Eleanor Wachtel. Consult Grain’s website, grainmagazine.ca for complete rules and guidelines.
Malahat 2012 Far Horizons Award for Poetry Deadline: May 1, 2012 (postmark date). The Malahat Review, Canada’s premier literary magazine, invites emerging poets from Canada, the United States, and elsewhere to enter the Far Horizons Award for Poetry. Eligible poets have yet to publish their poetry in book form (a book of poetry is defined to have a length of 48 pages or more). One prize of $1000 (CAD) is awarded. Poets contributing to The Malahat Review have won or been nominated for National Magazine Awards for Poetry and the Pushcart Prize. Guidelines for our 2012 Far Horizons Award for Poetry: http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/far_horizons_poetry/info.html
The 2012 Canadian Writers’ Contest Calendar ?Whether you’re a beginner or advanced writer, if you’re looking for places to send your ?work, you should put contests on your list. The Canadian Writers’ Contest Calendar ?gives a full listing of contests in Canada arranged by deadline date. It lists contests for short ?stories, poetry, children’s writing, novels, and non-fiction. ?The 2012 edition costs just $20 at one of my workshops or classes or $23.50 by mail (all ?taxes and shipping included). To order by mail, send a cheque for $23.50 to:?Brian Henry?110 Reiner Road?, Toronto, ON M3H 2L6?. I’ll mail your Contest Calendar straight out to you.
Markets
WritingRaw.com With the disappearance of markets that publish unsolicited manuscripts, WritingRaw is providing the outlet for any writer who wishes to have their writing out for the world to see and to help start building a name for themselves. Check out their guidelines at http://www.writingraw.com/submit.html
Adventure Cyclist A cycling magazine published nine times yearly by the Adventure Cycling Association. Dedicated to bicycle travel and cycling adventures worldwide, including epic, cross-country cycling tours, shorter multi-day trips, and mountain-bike treks, as well as featuring bicycle-gear reviews, and other bicycle-travel news. Payment for manuscripts is negotiable, but generally ranges from $0.30 to $0.45 per word. Guidelines: http://www.adventurecycling.org/mag/submissions.cfm
The Antioch Review Literary magazine publishes articles, fiction, poetry and reviews from both emerging as well as established authors. Pays $15 per printed page (about 425 words). http://antiochcollege.org/antioch_review/
Atticus Books publishes material that falls through the cracks between genres. They publish books, short stories, literary fiction and creative nonfiction both in print and on their website. For more information visit: http://atticusbooksonline.com/about/how-to-publish-with-us/
Bull Men’s Fiction is looking for good stories that address men’s issues, span male perspectives, or otherwise appeal to a male audience. They want interesting and engaging, acute and insightful. If you think men would appreciate your stuff, they want to check it out. Open to male or female authors. Note: “BULL respects the days when editors were editors, that is, someone who will work with a writer for the sake of a great story. Which means you’ll see quality, cared-for fiction on this site, and means your submission might kick off a fulfilling and congenial editorial dialogue.” http://bullmensfiction.com/submit.html
Bust Magazine Bimonthly magazine that tells the truth about women’s lives and presents a female perspective on pop culture. Departments include Broadcast (pop culture personalities and events), Real Life (cooking, crafts, cars, careers), Looks (health, beauty and style), Sex Files, and more. Paying market. Guidelines: http://www.bust.com/info/submit-to-bust.html
CAA Magazine of the Canadian Automobile Association. Editorial topics include travel, automotive, popular culture and everyday living. Published quarterly. High-paying market. More information at: http://www.caamagazine.ca/faq.aspx#faq10
Canadian Geographic Travel Owned by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Published four times a year, as well as Canadian Geographic six times a year. That means they buy about 30 feature stories each year in total. Guidelines: http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/careers/#guidelines
Canadian Newcomer Magazine The mission of the magazine is to connect the diverse ethnic communities in Canada by providing free information, advice, entertainment and encouragement to new immigrants. Subjects covered include employment, housing, Canadian lifestyles, health, finances, ethnic media and education. Published six times per year with all issues available online in both English and French. Pays up to $0.30 per word. http://www.cnmag.ca/editorial_guidelines
Dandelion A semi-annual literary magazine published in journal format. Publishes Canadian and international writers and artists. Pays $30 for submissions, plus a one year subscription. Only submissions responding to specific calls for submissions will be read. Guidelines: http://www.dandelionmag.ca/index.php?id=submissions
Decadent Publishing is open to submissions of romance novels for its many imprints. Visit the site for detailed guidelines: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/
Descant A Canadian quarterly journal publishing new and established contemporary writers and visual artists from Canada and around the world. Considers submissions of poetry (submit about six poems), short stories, novel excerpts, plays, essays, interviews, musical scores and visual presentations. Standards for acceptance are high. Pays $100 honorarium upon publication. Guidelines: http://www.descant.ca/submit.html
Earthbound publishers are open to submissions of science-fiction, adventure, fantasy and mystery short stories up to 500 words max, for which they pay 5c a word, and also stories of up to 3000 words for their anthologies. More information at: http://www.earthboundfiction.com/submissions#!__submissions
Enroute Air Canada’s award-winning bilingual (English/French) in-flight magazine. A publication that celebrates the travel lifestyle of their readers. Pay: base rate is CDN $1 per word. http://enroute.aircanada.com/en/articles/writers-guidelines/
Fitzhenry & Whiteside Children’s Publishing Division Currently seeking manuscripts for: Primary picture book text (approx. 500 to 800 words) for children ages 3 to 5, Middle Grade fiction text (approx. 25,000 to 35,000 words) for children ages 8 to 12, Young Adult fiction text (approx. 40,000 to 50,000 words) for children 12 and up, Non-fiction texts for juvenile picture books 5 and up – school curriculum related, Non-fiction texts for older readers 8 and up – school curriculum related, and Non-Fiction manuscripts for Young Adult Readers 12 and up. No longer accepting manuscripts for board books, narrative poetry, seasonal stories or books designed to be a series. Not interested in manuscripts written to convey a lesson or a moral. Visit: http://fitzhenry.ca/submissions.aspx or Submit your manuscript to: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Children’s Books, 195 Allstate Parkway, Markham, ON L3R 4T8
Good News Toronto is a not-for-profit endeavour. It is currently a free monthly print and online publication. We celebrate the inspirational people of our city. The newspaper encourages us to look at our neighbours as heroes rather than villains, and to treat each other with respect and understanding. Submit a short (450-word limit) personal essay or story about an encounter that changed your life. Deadline: August 15. Entry fee: $10 for first entry, $5 for each additional entry. First prize: $100 and a two-hour writing tutorial, publication in Good News Toronto and a one-year subscription. Second and third place: Publication in Good News Toronto. Submissions welcomed from people in the greater Toronto area. Full contest rules at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/contests/
Grain Magazine An internationally acclaimed literary journal, publishing the freshest poetry and prose from Canada, the US, and abroad. Published 4 times per year. They have a nine-month reading period, September 1st to May 31st. Pays $50 per page to a maximum of $225. Guidelines: http://www.grainmagazine.ca/submissions.html
Groundwood Books, established in 1978, is dedicated to the production of children’s books for all ages, including fiction, picture books and non-fiction. We publish in Canada, the United States and Latin America. We are always looking for new authors of novel-length fiction for children in all age areas. Our mandate is to publish high-quality, character-driven literary fiction. We do not generally publish stories with an obvious moral or message or genre fiction such as thrillers or mysteries. We do not publish high-interest/low-vocabulary fiction or stories with anthropomorphic animals or elves/fairies as their main characters. Due to the enormous number of submissions we receive, Groundwood Books regrets we can no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts for picture books. 110 Spadina Avenue, Suite 801, Toronto, ON M5V 2K4 Canada, http://www.groundwoodbooks.com/
Hellicious HorrorsTM E-publishing company devoted solely to horror e-books starring preteens through young adults, is looking for fresh, imaginative young writer/new authors. Anyone submitting must have a finished novel (40,000 words or more). Though we prioritize the young writer/new authors, we encourage ALL to send in submissions and welcome inquiries. Please see the submissions guidelines on our website for more information. http://www.hellicioushorrors.com
Lost in Thought New magazine will be a Toronto-based publication for people who love reading interesting short stories. There won’t be a theme tying the stories together, just that they all connect with the reader on some level. Your story could be a piece about a dog in outer space, or a WWII vet in NYC. The publication will hopefully include a nice variety of stories. Of course they need story submissions to get this off the ground! Photography and Illustrations are also vital to setting the tone of the stories. Lost in Thought will feature nice big photos and illustrations, so if there are any talented people out there who would like to see their work in print, feel free to send an email. Try to keep it 5,000 words or less. There’s some wiggle room if it’s a really great piece, but no fair trying to get your novel published. Ideally your submission shouldn’t be published elsewhere. That doesn’t mean it has to be an entirely new story though, it could be something you’ve had sitting on a hard drive for years just waiting for a home. Try to keep your submission to one or two pieces, no need to send every piece you’ve ever written. All entries will be read and appreciated! Send them to: LostInThoughtMag@gmail.com http://lostinthoughtmag.blogspot.com/p/submissions-writing.html
The Malahat Review publishes fiction and poetry and includes reviews of Canadian writing in each issue. Pays $40 per page. Guidelines: http://web.uvic.ca/malahat/submission_guidelines.html
Maple Tree Press has been the publisher of distinctive, award-winning children’s books for over 30 years. Publishing under the banner of Owl Books, our history began in the early 1970s, following the launch of OWL magazine, which was to become Canada’s leading children’s magazine. We welcome book ideas of all kinds for children aged three to twelve. For the most part we publish nonfiction in the areas of science and nature, and activity and craft books. We also publish a diverse collection of books that celebrate Canada’s history and culture. We publish Canadian writers almost exclusively (including Canadian citizens living abroad). If you wish to have your manuscript considered for publication, please mail it to our office: Owlkids/Maple Tree Press, 10 Lower Spadina Ave., Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5V 2Z2, along with a self-addressed, stamped return envelope. The package should be marked to the attention of the Submissions Editor. The review period is usually twelve to sixteen weeks. Full submission guidelines at http://www.mapletreepress.com/content.aspx?page=9
Marie Claire A popular magazine for providing information on fashion, style, hairstyles, beauty, womens issues, careers, health, and relationships. High-paying market. Guidelines: http://www.marieclaire.com/about/faq
MicroHorror.com Hone your flash and horror writing skills. This site accepts horror stories of 666 words or less. For some short but spine tingling stories, check this site out. http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror/
Montreal Gazette David Johnston, Communities Editor, seeks stories about how travel has transformed you. This summer, the Opinion page will be publishing personal stories about vacation travel–stories that show the power of travel to provoke new insights into the way we look at life, or the lives we lead the rest of the year. If you have a story to share about how travel and/or vacations have affected your life, please send it to djohnston@montrealgazette.com. Submissions should be 600 to 800 words long. You are welcome to submit photos as well; please make sure to include caption information for them, as well as some details about yourself (for example, where you live and what you do), and your daytime contact information. We will choose the best submissions for publication, along with stories from our own writers.
NOW Toronto‘s weekly news and entertainment voice, published every Thursday. Welcomes submissions from writers and photographers. http://www.nowtoronto.com/about/faq.cfm
On Nature publishes feature articles on all aspects of natural history, conservation and the environment in Ontario. Paying market. Rates comparable to trade magazines. Guidelines: http://onnaturemagazine.com/contact-us
Over My Dead Body publishes a wide variety of mystery-related manuscripts, from cozy to hardboiled and everything in between. Submissions are open for fiction and nonfiction. Pays: $.01 per word for fiction; $10-$25 total for unsolicited nonfiction. Guidelines: http://www.overmydeadbody.com/wg2011.htm
Punchnel’s This online magazine has a wide variety of departments and is open to an impressively wide range of submissions from recipes to reviews, to travel essays, to poetry, to serialized fiction and graphic novels. They pay $10 on acceptance for first electronic rights. http://www.punchnels.com/guidelines/
Queen’s Quarterly Multidisciplinary quarterly journal aimed at the general educated reader. Publishes articles, reviews, short stories and poetry. Pays upon publication. http://www.queensu.ca/quarterly/
Quick Brown Fox Book reviewers wanted Try to keep it short, I’ll consider 1,000 words if those words are all needed, but under 600 words words is preferable; 100 words is also okay. I’d like reviews of good books. People look to reviews for recommendations of what they might enjoy reading, so reviews of crummy books are less useful. Occasionally, I’d like reviews of overrated books. If everyone’s talking about the latest Margaret Atwood and, if you’re a can lit fan but think this book sucks, let us know. Note that to write this kind of review, you need to be a fan. If you only enjoy Literature with a capital L, don’t write to tell us that the latest Dan Brown blockbuster doesn’t meet your standards. We know that. Write about the kind of books you like and target your review to a book’s potential audience. I’d like to enjoy reading your review. Like all literature, a review is meant to delight or enlighten. I’d much rather you send me a witty one-liner than 400 ponderous words. Or if you want to share some fascinating information about a book’s topic, please do. For instance if you’re reviewing Dan Brown, you might decide to share some tidbits about actual secret societies. Or you might comment on our strange fascination with secret societies, which after all tend to be no more dangerous or all-powerful than the Rotary Club. Use your imagination. If you want to review a magazine or recommend an article or write about why digital readers can never replace paper books, go for it. Any book related piece is good. Send your review in the body of your email to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca I’ll either post your review or not, but I can’t reply.
Quill & Quire The monthly magazine of the Canadian book trade, reaching an audience of primarily publishers, booksellers, librarians, and writers. Publishes news and feature articles about the business of writing, publishing, and bookselling in Canada. Also publishes author profiles (generally of about 1,800 to 2,000 words), and brief reviews of Canadian books. Pays $0.45 per word. Brief reviews pay $110; feature reviews pay $300. http://www.quillandquire.com/
Reader’s Digest Canada is looking for dramatic narratives, inspirational stories, articles about crime, adventure, travel and health issues. Paying market. More information at: http://www.readersdigest.ca/magazine/email-editors
Sew Beautiful A bimonthly magazine that celebrates the art of sewing by hand and by machine. Technique articles, designs, projects, and pictorials promote and inspire fine sewing at its best. Pays $50 to $400. More information at: http://www.sewbeautifulmag.com/submission.html
Thistledown Press seeks short story collections and teen fiction Thistledown Press started in 1975 as a publishing house for prairie writers, particularly poets, but has since expanded to become a broader general Canadian publisher of novels, short story collections and poetry and juvenile literature. Current Publishing Interests: Teen audience fiction; Juvenile audience fiction by writers who have previous book publications; Collections of short fiction by emerging writers who have publishing credits in journals and magazines; Novels by writers who have previous book publications and poetry collections by writers who have previous book publications. More information at: http://www.thistledownpress.com/
Thrillers, Killers ‘n’ Chillers is a site for writers of thrillers, crime, horror and mystery stories to share their short story or flash fiction with others of a like mind. Stories should be no more than 2,000 words long, edited to the best of your ability and (to cut down on spam emails) pasted in the body of an email. Stories should be submitted to: SubmissionsTKnC@Gmail.Com In the subject line please write one of the following: Submission: Crime (for all crime and noir) Submission: Horror (for all horror, weird, ghost, spooky, supernatural etc) Submission: Thriller (for all action, thriller, and spy) If your story doesn’t fit any of the above, place Submission: Thriller in the subject line (this would include humorous, slice of life etc). If you want to add a bio with links to your own sites, paste them in the mail after your story. Because of the nature of the site violence and profanity (in reason) will be tolerated. But no handsome, tormented vampires with a heart (or bushy eyebrows) stories. (Unless, of course, as one witty reader suggested: “Is it okay if the heart isn’t his own?”). Because of the adult nature of the site you must be 16+ to submit work. There will be no payment, only the knowledge that others are reading and enjoying your work. The author retains all copyright to the works (be aware that some publishers will not take works previously published on the web), but we encourage feedback from our readers, the kind of support that is invaluable. See http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/
Toastmaster Magazine Published monthly for approximately 260,000 members in 113 countries. Covers communication, leadership, and self-improvement. All articles must be geared toward an international audience. Also welcomes submissions from freelancers living outside North America. “Compensation for accepted articles depends on whether our submission guidelines are followed, the amount of research involved and the article’s general value to us.” Guidelines: http://www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ContacttheToastmaster.aspx
The Toronto Quarterly, a literary and arts journal, is looking for submissions for its eighth issue. Deadline is Monday, August 15, 2011. Send us your best poetry (4 – 6 poems), short stories (1 – 2 stories max, 500 – 3,000 words), artwork, and photographs. If you have a novel or poetry book, or a poetry or music cd or dvd that you’re interested in having us review, please email us your query to thetorontoquarterly@hotmail.com. Type “Review Request” in the subject box. You may also submit book and music reviews to be considered for publication. Send us your artwork and photography. Send in high resolution (jpeg file). We will consider all artwork submitted for the cover of TTQ8. All submissions should include a short biography (5-6 lines max) stating town/city you reside in, previous publishing accomplishments, educational background if so desired. Please do not send us a novel about yourself. Make it interesting and promote your books and/or webpages if desired. Please, only one submission per issue. All rights and copyright upon publication in TTQ8 remains with the author. Each contributor to TTQ8 will receive a free e-book of TTQ8 as payment. It will be emailed to the contributor as a pdf file. Attach your submission as a Word document (please only one attachemnt, not one for each poem) and email to: thetorontoquarterly@hotmail.com Full submission guidelines at http://thetorontoquarterly.blogspot.com/2011/06/ttq8-call-for-submissions-deadline-is.html.
The Write Idea and The Right Eyed Deer are looking for submissions of poetry, fiction and art. The Write Idea is a global community with nominally a membership of 500 plus. We have a great selection of poets and take part in the IBPC competition every month (that’s a competition between 19 poetry forums) and swept the board in last years ‘Poem of the Year’ contest with a solid 1-2-3. We also have novelists, flash fiction and short fiction sectors that are pretty busy. It costs nothing to join, nothing to stay there. It is a supportive community of writers helping writers. The Right Eyed Deer magazine is published approximately quarterly, offering its issues as a free PDF download or as a print magazine. Two Canadian fiction editors and two UK poetry editors give a reflection of the global reach and readership. A non-paying market, but listed on Duotrope and looking to grow. Seeks poetry, fiction, art and articles on writing for Issue 8. More information at: http://therighteyeddeer.weebly.com/
Writers’ Forum magazine is seeking 100 to 200 word maximum news stories that would be of interest to writers worldwide. The best news story each month wins a year’s subscription to the magazine and all that are chosen for publication get a byline in the magazine. The snappier the writing, the better chance of it getting published. All news stories must be verifiable and you need to provide a web link to the source of your story. Send news items to news@writers-forum.com
Zoomer Magazine A lifestyle magazine published nine times a year, dedicated to the issues of Canadians 44 and up. From health to finance, politics to style, entertainment to family, fashion to food, beauty to sex. (This magazine evolved out of the former CARP magazine). Canadian content is critical. Article length ranges from 500 to 2,000 words. Pays upon acceptance. Guidelines: http://www.zoomermag.com/contact-us/contact-us-2/631