06Jul
Write the World Monthly Competitions
Monthly competitions, a new genre each month, opening the first Monday. Poetry, fiction, journalism, screenwriting, and more. Open worldwide, ages 13 to 19. Free. Cash prizes and expert review.
Writing Club
Poetry · essays · stories · journalism · plays · creative nonfiction
Filtered from polymythcalendar’s verified competition records. Every listing keeps its source link, age band, deadline, and eligibility note.
39 writing competitions
39 writing competition listings are listed below. Use the controls above to filter them when JavaScript is available.
15Jul
The Aristotle Contest
Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, with the Ontario Philosophy Teachers' Association
Verified 2026 deadline. Canadian high-school students submit one philosophy essay of up to 1,200 words on one of the official questions. English and French submissions are welcome. Cash prizes are awarded for first, second, and third place…
31Jul
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2026
Poetry submission deadline, 6 PM ET. Any theme, up to 40 lines. Open worldwide, ages 11 to 17. Free. AI-written poems barred.
31Jul
R.A. Butler Prize in Politics and International Studies
Submission deadline, projected from the annual July window. Politics or international studies essay, up to 3000 words. Penultimate-year students worldwide. Free. Trinity College, Cambridge. Confirm the date on the site.
01Aug
The Concord Review
Rolling deadlines, next August 1 for the Winter issue. History research essay, roughly 4000 to 21000 words. Secondary students worldwide, sole author. Seventy US dollar submission fee. Publishes about five percent.
01Aug
Trinity College Cambridge Subject Essay Prizes
Submission deadline, projected from the summer window. Subject essays in English, law, history, philosophy, and more, around 2000 to 2500 words. Year 12 and 13 students worldwide. Free. Some prizes skip a year, confirm each on the site.
14Aug
New York Times Summer Reading Contest
Submission window, June 5 to August 14, open now. Respond to anything in the Times that drew you in. Open worldwide, ages 13 to 19, middle and high school. Free. Part of the recurring Learning Network contest calendar.
29Aug
Marshall Society Essay Competition in Economics
Submission deadline, projected from the late-August window. Economics essay on a set question, about 1500 words. Pre-university students worldwide. Free. University of Cambridge. Confirm the date on the site.
30Sep
Hamilton Public Library Power of the Pen
Hamilton Public Library
Deadline projected from the annual September window. Hamilton-area youth submit original poetry or short stories in English. Free. This is a regional library contest, so Hamilton eligibility applies…
01Nov
Royal Canadian Legion Literary Contest
The Royal Canadian Legion and Legion National Foundation
Local branch deadlines vary, so this placeholder marks the annual Remembrance contest window. Students submit an original essay or poem on Remembrance in English, French, or bilingual format. Junior essays are up to 350 words, intermediate up to 500 words…
01Nov
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Submission deadline, opens September 1. Poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. Open worldwide, grades 9 to 12, with a teacher sponsor. Free. Prizes to two thousand dollars plus Bennington scholarships.
19Nov
OSSTF Student Achievement Awards
Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation
School-to-district deadline projected from the latest verified November cycle. Ontario public secondary students submit writing, visual art, or digital media on an annual theme. Writing is capped at 750 words…
20Nov
Polar Expressions Student Writing Contest 2026
Submission deadline. Poetry up to 32 lines or a short story up to 450 words. Canadian students, kindergarten to grade 12. Free.
30Nov
Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
Poetry submission window, November 1 to 30. One unpublished poem. Open internationally, grades 10 and 11. Free. Winner publishes in The Kenyon Review and earns a Young Writers workshop scholarship.
15Dec
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
Regional deadlines, projected across the December to January window. Eleven writing categories. Students in the US and Canada, grades 7 to 12, age 13 and over. Ten dollar per entry with waivers. Final work cannot be AI-generated…
19Dec
French for the Future National Essay Contest
French for the Future
Deadline projected from the latest verified October to December cycle. Students write a 750 word essay in French in French-as-a-first-language or French-as-a-second-language categories. Free. Scholarship prizes support postsecondary study in French…
13Feb
OECTA Young Authors Awards
Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association
School-level deadline projected from the latest verified February cycle. Students enter short story, poem, nonfiction, and, from grades 5 to 12, play categories. English and French tracks…
15Feb
Poetry In Voice Write Contest
Submission window, projected August 15 to February 15, monthly winners. Poetry. Canadian students, grades 7 to 12, under 19. Free. FutureVerse intensive for senior winners. Confirm on the site.
20Feb
Meaning of Home Student Contest
Habitat for Humanity Canada
Deadline projected from the latest verified January to February cycle. Students in grades 4 to 6 submit a 50 to 300 word composition, essay, or poem on what home means to them. Free, English or French…
28Feb
Amazon Canada First Novel Award Youth Short Story
Deadline approximate, projected from the winter window, verify. Short story. Canadian teens, ages 13 to 17. Free. Confirm the date on the site.
28Feb
CBC First Page Student Writing Challenge
Submission deadline, projected from the annual February window. One opening page of a novel set 150 years ahead, 300 to 400 words. Canadian residents, grades 7 to 12. Free. Confirm the date on the site.
28Feb
Ottawa Public Library Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest
Ottawa Public Library
Deadline projected from the latest verified February cycle. Ottawa-area youth submit short stories, poems, or comics, with English and French opportunities. Free. This is a regional library contest, so Ottawa eligibility applies…
28Feb
River of Words Poetry and Art Contest
Deadline approximate, projected from the late-February window, verify. Poetry and art on a watershed theme. Students worldwide, kindergarten to grade 12. Free. Confirm the date on the site.
13Mar
Canadian Nuclear Society Essay Contest
Canadian Nuclear Society
Deadline projected from the latest verified March cycle. Canadian students in grades 9 to 12, or Quebec Secondary III to V, submit an original essay of 1,000 words or less in English or French. Cash prizes are awarded…
23Mar
Toronto Public Library Young Voices Magazine
Submission deadline, projected from the annual March window. Poems, stories, reviews, comics. Teens who live, work, or study in Toronto, ages 12 to 19. Free. Strict AI ban. Publication, no cash prize. Confirm on the site.
31Mar
Kids Write 4 Kids
Ripple Foundation
Annual deadline projected from the official October 1 to March 31 cycle. Canadian students in grades 4 to 8 submit original fact, fiction, prose, or poetry up to 5,000 words. Free…
31Mar
YABS Young Writers Award
Young Alberta Book Society
Annual deadline projected from the official December 1 to March 31 window. Alberta students in grades 4 to 9 submit an original short story up to 2,500 words. Free. Winners receive books, certificates, and an online writing workshop with a published author…
01Apr
Indigenous Arts and Stories
Program appears on hiatus, verify before relying on it. Historically a March 31 deadline. Creative writing and art. Canadians of Indigenous ancestry, ages 6 to 29. Free.
01Apr
Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Deadline projected from the annual March window, or once 250 entries fill. One ten-minute play, up to ten pages. Eleventh-grade students or the international equivalent. Free. Princeton University. Confirm on the site.
01Apr
Vancouver Writers Fest Youth Writing Contest
Vancouver Writers Fest
Opening date placeholder for the next spring cycle. BC students submit previously unpublished short stories or personal essays. Elementary submissions are up to 1,000 words and high-school submissions up to 1,500 words. Winners receive cash prizes…
15Apr
Stephen Leacock Student Humorous Writing Competition
Postmark deadline, projected from the annual April window. Humorous short story or essay, about 1500 words, mailed. Ontario students, ages 14 to 19. Five dollar fee. Fifteen hundred dollar first prize. Confirm on the site.
30Apr
Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth
League of Canadian Poets
Deadline approximate. Submissions open annually in September. Canadian youth poets submit one poem of up to one page. Cash prizes are awarded in junior and senior categories. Confirm the active deadline on the League of Canadian Poets site.
30Apr
Queen's Commonwealth Writing Competition
Royal Commonwealth Society
Deadline projected from the annual April 30 cycle. Entrants write one piece of up to 1,000 words responding to an official prompt, with forms including poem, letter, article, story, essay, or short script. Free…
01May
The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose
Submission window, projected from the annual April to May cycle. Up to five poems or three prose works. Secondary and undergraduate students worldwide. Fifteen US dollar fee with waivers. Confirm the date on the site.
31May
CNIB Braille Creative Writing Contest
CNIB
Deadline projected from the official March 1 to May 31 annual window. Students submit a braille short story, essay, or poem in English or French on any topic, up to 4,000 words. Free. Cash prizes are awarded in category groups…
31May
James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Award
Submission deadline, projected from the annual May window. Any creative writing. Indigenous students enrolled in and resident in Ontario, under 18. Free. Twenty-five hundred dollars to up to six recipients. Confirm on the site.
31May
John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize 2027
Essay submission deadline, approximate. Annual prize across ten subjects, registration opens about February, 2026 deadline was May 31. Open worldwide, under 19. Free. Confirm the date on the site.
08Jun
Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest
Fraser Institute
Deadline projected from the latest verified June cycle. High-school students submit a 1,000 to 1,500 word essay with references on public policy and economics. Cash prizes are awarded in the high-school division…
10Jun
Diverse Minds Manitoba
B'nai Brith Canada
Deadline projected from the latest verified June cycle. Manitoba high-school students write and illustrate an original children's book for a K to grade 5 audience on diversity and inclusion. Students may work individually or in pairs…