PRISM has a total of 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. For contest details visit the respective contest pages.
All 1st prize winners will be published in PRISM, and runners-up will be published at the discretion of the editors. All other entries will be considered for publication as regular submissions (for the possibility of publication in other issues of PRISM).
In addition, the Earle Birney Prize for Poetry is presented each year to one outstanding poet published in the magazine.
PRISM international is offering free entries for self-identifying Indigenous writers for our all our contests. Indigenous writers are invited to submit by emailing assistant@prismmagazine.ca by the deadline.
We also have a 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 assistant@prismmagazine.ca to arrange contest entry. As always, we encourage submissions from writers of colour, writers with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S writers, and writers from other intersectional and marginalized groups.
Creative Non-Fiction Contest
$1,500 grand prize, $600 runner-up, $400 2nd runner-up
Entry fee: $35 Canadian entries; $40 US entries; $45 Int’l entries (includes a one-year subscription or extension)
Additional entry: $5 per piece
Max. word count: 6,000
The Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction
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
$1,500 grand prize, $600 runner-up, $400 2nd runner-up
Entry fee: $35 Canadian entries; $40 US entries; $45 Int’l entries (includes a one-year subscription or extension)
Additional entry: $5 each piece
Up to three poems per entry (100 lines max per poem)
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!
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.
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.