Short Story Contests for Canadian Writers
Quick answer: Canadian writers can enter Writory's Short Story Contest. The first contest runs from 1 September 2026 to 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results and certificates on 30 November 2026. Monthly rounds follow the debut: entries close on the 25th and results arrive on the 30th. Entry is $8 USD, around $11 Canadian, for a story of 100 to 3,000 words in any genre. Judging is blind against a published rubric, every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 on 30 November 2026, and writers keep all rights, including first publication rights.
Enter 100 to 3,000 words in English, French or any other language by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST: blind judging against a published rubric, results on 30 November 2026, and a scored certificate for every entrant. You keep all rights. Monthly rounds follow the debut.
The gap in the Canadian calendar
Canada's marquee prizes run once a year. The CBC Short Story Prize takes entries each autumn at a $25 fee, the journal contests that fill out the season sit in the same range and often bundle a subscription into the price, and results can take the better part of a season to arrive. That cadence rewards patience, and the prestige is real, but it is a slow way to learn.
After the debut, Writory's monthly rounds give you twelve deadlines in a full year and a five-part score back from each. Entry is $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, and the top prize per round is $100. Winners enter the next round free, and entering three rounds running earns the Seasoned Quill badge and a free entry.
Terms that respect where the story goes next
Writers keep all rights, and in Canada that clause is not boilerplate. Most journals want first publication rights, so a contest that quietly publishes every entry can burn a story's eligibility across the whole market. Entering here does not publish your story: winners are showcased only with permission, and everything you enter stays fully available to Canadian magazines, anthologies and other contests.
The mechanics: 100 to 3,000 words in any language, any genre, deadline 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, which lands early afternoon in Toronto and late morning in Vancouver. Results, certificate and all five rubric marks arrive on 30 November 2026.
The published rubric, 100 points
- Storytelling & Structure (25 points): Does every scene cause the next, and does the ending pay off the opening?
- Character & Emotional Impact (25 points): Do we want something with your character, and does the story make us feel it?
- Language & Craft (20 points): Clean, deliberate prose: rhythm, precision, and nothing wasted.
- Originality & Voice (20 points): The angle only you could write, told in a voice that sounds like nobody else.
- Impact & Resonance (10 points): What the story leaves behind after the last line.
How it works
Submit an original story of 100 to 3,000 words by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Every story is judged blind against the rubric above, and results arrive on 30 November 2026: every entrant receives a certificate with their name and a score out of 100. Writers keep all rights. Winners earn free entry to the next round. Enter at https://writoryofficial.com/submit-story.
Common questions
Is the contest open across Canada?
Every province and territory. Write in English, French or any other language; every story is read in the language it was written in, judged blind against the same rubric in one pool, and Writory's poetry rounds have drawn entrants from 40 countries, with winners already named in the United States, Ireland, Kenya, India and Slovenia.
How much is entry, and can it ever be free?
$8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, charged in US dollars; your card converts at the day's rate. Winning a month makes the next entry free, and entering three rounds running earns the Seasoned Quill badge and a free entry.
Can two of us co-write and enter together?
Not as a single entry. Each story needs one named author, because the score and the certificate attach to one name. If you collaborate, enter under one author's account with your co-writer's agreement.
If I enter a story here, can I still send it to Canadian journals?
Nothing stops you. You keep all rights, including first publication rights, and entering is not publication. Only a winning story is showcased, and only with your permission, so if you win, check your target journal's rules before agreeing.
When do I hear back?
On 30 November 2026, with the certificate and all five rubric marks. The deadline is 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, early afternoon in Toronto and late morning in Vancouver, and non-winners receive the same detail on the same date as winners.
More story contest pages
About Writory
Writory (writoryofficial.com) is an international monthly poetry contest founded in 2025 by Shivay Mehra. Poets from 40 countries have entered, readers come from more than 150 countries, and every submitted poem is judged and scored out of 100 across five criteria: creativity, emotion, structure, language and impact and resonance. Every entrant receives a certificate; winners receive cash prizes and are published by name. Entries close on the 25th of each month and results are announced on the 30th. Writory is listed by Duotrope, Poetry Kit, Christopher Fielden's competition list and Creative Writing NZ, among other organisations. Past results are public at past winners and the leaderboard.