Home > Contests

PRISM has four recurring contests: our annual Creative Non-fiction contest, The Pacific Spirit Poetry Prize, The Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction and The Grouse Grind Prize for V. Short Forms.

Each contest is open to all writers, international and Canadian. Scroll below to read descriptions for each prize and please check our Submittable page to see which contest is currently accepting entries.

Contest winners will be published at the discretion of PRISM’s editors. All other entries will be considered for publication as regular submissions (for the possibility of publication in other issues of PRISM).

Please contact Paulina Domínguez at promotions@prismmagazine.ca with any contest-related questions.

PRISM international offers free entries for self-identifying Black and Indigenous writers for all our contests.

Black and Indigenous writers are no longer being asked to self-identify to gain free entry to our contests.
We have cut this middle step and posted the form for free entry for Black and Indigenous writers along with the paid entry forms. We also have a limited number of free entries to offer to low-income writers, and we encourage writers for whom the contest entry fee is prohibitive to contact us at promotions@prismmagazine.ca to arrange contest entry.

As always, we encourage submissions from writers of colour, writers with disabilities, LGBTQQIA writers, and writers from other intersectional and marginalized groups.

We are committed to lifting up voices that have been silenced systemically and individually.

Creative Non-fiction Contest

Past winners: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2017

Prizes: $1,500 grand prize, $600 runner-up, $400 second runner-up

Entry fee: $35 for Canadian, $40 for US, $45 for International; all entries include one-year subscription.
Max word count: 6,000 words (including title). One piece per entry. Additional entries are available for $5. 

Grouse Grind Lit Prize for V. Short Forms

Judged by the PRISM editorial board, our short forms contest is open to writers around the world. Send us your flash fiction and nonfiction, your hybrid forms and experimental work.

There are no form limitations for this contest, save for those above that refer to word count. We want it all—as long as it’s short!
Past winners: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

Prizes: $500 Grand Prize, $150 runner-up, $50 2nd runner-up

Entry fee: $15 for all entries, regardless of place of residence.
Max word count: 300 words (including title). One piece per entry. Additional entries are available for $5.

The Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction

A Note on Jacob Zilber: Jacob Zilber was a renowned writer, respected teacher and mentor. In 1965, Jacob helped Earle Birney form the Department of Creative Writing, one of the very first such departments in North America and the very first of its kind in Canada. He also co-founded PRISM international and was a longtime editor of the magazine. Jacob passed away on August 21st, 2012. Read more about Jacob Zilber here.

Past Winners: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

Prizes: $1,500 grand prize, $600 runner-up, $400 2nd runner-up

Entry fee: $35 for Canadian, $40 for US, $45 for International; all entries include one-year subscription.
Max word count: 4,000 words (including title). One piece per entry. Additional entries are available for $5. 

Pacific Spirit Poetry Prize

Past winners: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

Prizes: $1,500 grand prize, $600 runner-up, $400 2nd runner-up

Entry fee: $35 for Canadian, $40 for US, $45 for International; all entries include one-year subscription.
Limits: 1-3 poems (100 lines maximum each) per entry. Additional entries are available for $5. 

Annual Earle Birney Prize for Poetry

An annual prize of $500 is awarded by the outgoing Poetry Editor to an outstanding poetry contributor published in PRISM international. Enter by regular submission only: no fee required.

We thank Wailan Low for her continued support.