The Writers’ Union of Canada invites submissions to its 33rd annual Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers. Unpublished works of fiction and nonfiction up to 2,500 words in English are eligible, and writers may submit multiple entries. A $2,500 prize will be awarded to the winner, and the entries of the winner and eleven finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines for consideration. The deadline for entries is February 16, 2026.
The Competition aims to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of short prose. “Over its more than thirty-year history, the Short Prose Competition has introduced Canadian readers to fresh voices from across the country,” says Chief Executive Officer John Degen. “It’s gratifying to watch those writers then grow in their careers.” Past finalists and winners have included such future luminaries as Shauna Singh Baldwin, Lewis DeSoto, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Alexander MacLeod, and Amy Stuart. Visit writersunion.ca/short-prose-competition for full details and application form.
ABOUT THE JURY
The Union is proud to announce an esteemed group of jurors for the Competition:
David Huebert is the author of two award-winning short story collections, Peninsula Sinking and Chemical Valley. In 2024, he published his debut novel, Oil People, which was shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award and won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. David teaches in the MFA program at the University of King’s College in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia, where he lives with his partner and two children.
Shauna Singh Baldwin’s writing career began with TWUC’s short fiction prize. Her winning story “Jassie” was included in her collection English Lessons and Other Stories. English Lessons won the 1996 Friends of American Writers Award. Another story, “Satya” won the 1997 CBC Literary Award. A second story collection We Are Not in Pakistan was published in 2007. Shauna has written three novels: the best-selling What the Body Remembers which won the 2000 Commonwealth Writer’s Prize (Canada and Caribbean); The Tiger Claw, a finalist for the 2004 Giller Prize; and The Selector of Souls, winner of the 2012 Council for Wisconsin Writers Fiction prize. She is also the coauthor of A Foreign Visitor’s Survival Guide to America. Her seventh book is Reluctant Rebellions: New and Selected Non-fiction (2016). Her poetry collection is forthcoming from Penguin Random House. Shauna’s fiction, poems, and essays have been published in literary and popular magazines, anthologies, and newspapers. Her work has been translated into fourteen languages. Born in Montreal, Shauna holds an undergraduate degree from Delhi University, an MBA from Marquette University, and an MFA from the University of British Columbia.
Léa Taranto is a disabled Chinese Jewish Canadian writer who lives with OCD and comorbid disorders. Her debut novel, A Drop in the Ocean, was short-listed for the Governor General’s Literary Award and Forest of Reading White Pine Award. An MFA graduate of the University of British Columbia, alumnus of Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio, and member of PRISM International’s poetry board, she resides on traditional, unceded Halkomelem and Squamish territories in BC.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Short Prose Competition is open to Canadian citizens and residents who have had no more than one book published and are not currently under contract for a second book. Authors not published in book format are also eligible. The entry fee is $29 per submission, and submissions are accepted online until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on February 16, 2026. The winner and finalists will be announced in late spring 2026. For complete rules and regulations, and to submit, visit writersunion.ca/short-prose-competition.
ABOUT THE WRITERS’ UNION OF CANADA
The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is the national organization of professionally published writers. TWUC was founded in 1973 to work with governments, publishers, booksellers, and readers to improve the conditions of Canadian writers. Now over 3,000 members strong, TWUC advocates on behalf of writers’ collective interests, and delivers value to members through advocacy, community, and information. TWUC believes in a thriving, diverse Canadian culture that values and supports writers.
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For additional information:
Kristina Cuenca, Program Manager
The Writers’ Union of Canada
kcuenca@writersunion.ca
DATE: December 9, 2025
