subTerrain and the Creative Nonfiction Collective Society (CNFC) have joined forces to bring you a Canada-wide creative nonfiction contest. Winners will be announced in the spring of 2026.
CONTEST OPENS November 14, 2025.
CONTEST CLOSES Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PST.
We have increased the number and amount of our prizes:
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First place: $1,000 and publication in subTerrain
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Second place: $300 and publication on CNFC website
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Third place: $200 and publication on CNFC website
At CNFC, we honour diversity and inclusivity without discrimination. We are keen to empower viewpoints from communities that include but are not limited to multiple dimensions of diversity such as race, ethnicity, religion, age, ability, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, class, socio-economic status, and neurodiversity.
WHAT: Original previously unpublished creative nonfiction – maximum word length 3,000 words (no minimum). Literary journalism, memoir, and the personal or lyric essay—all are welcome. Please take note of the contest rules below.
WHO: The competition is open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
WHEN: The competition is open from November 14, 2025 to March 15, 2026.
FEE: General public $30; CNFC members $15.
CNFC members receive a discounted entry fee. You can become a member by registering here.
HOW: Submissions will be accepted via CNFC’s event management system.
CONTEST RULES:
In order to avoid disqualification, please take note of the following contest rules:
- The contest will be judged blind so please DO NOT put your name (first and/or last) or contact information anywhere within the submission.
- Submit work that is entirely your own. We discourage including the creative work of another (poems, songs, quotes), unless it abides by Canadian copyright law and is essential to the creative element of the submission.
- Entries must not have been previously published, either in print or online, or been accepted for publication elsewhere.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed but please advise us immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere.
- Multiple entries are allowed; however, each entry must be accompanied by its own $30 or $15 entry fee.
- Please take note of the word count and ENSURE that your entry is no more than 3,000 words.
- Include the word count in the top right corner of the first page of your entry (e.g., word count 2900).
- Proper formatting is required. Please ENSURE that your entry is double-spaced, with no less than 1-inch margins, using standard 12-point fonts such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial, and submitted in one of the following file formats: .doc, .docx, .txt, or PDF.
Submissions that do not meet these rules will be disqualified.
