The 2019 QWF Prize for Young Writers will be awarded to an emerging writer who is a resident of Quebec and who is between 16 and 24 years old, inclusively, as of June 14, 2019, the contest deadline.
The prize will be awarded for the best short story, poem, or work of creative nonfiction or narrative journalism written in English and published in an official literary publication in 2018. Work may be submitted either by the author or by the journal in which the submission was published, and there is no limit to the number of submissions per publication or writer. All work submitted must be the final, published version.
Rules and Regulations
- Maximum length for short stories and nonfiction is 4000 words. Maximum length of a poem is 100 lines.
- An emerging writer, for the purposes of this award, is one who has yet to publish a book.
- The writer must be at least 16 and under 25 at the time of the contest deadline.
- Official literary publications encompasses any print or online publication, which could include established literary journals, school or university newspapers, community blogs, magazines, anthologies, grassroots zines, or any other publication with a selection process The publication does not have to be Quebec-based.
- A Quebec resident writer is one whose main residence has been in Quebec for at least one year at the time of publication, and/or who has a strong ongoing proven connection to Quebec (for example, a long-time Quebec resident who is studying abroad).
- The submission must have been written in English (i.e., translations are not eligible).
- Three finalists will be selected by a jury of three. The names of all finalists will appear in carte blanche and on the QWF website. Winners will be announced at the annual QWF Literary Awards Gala, held in November 2019. The following prizes will be awarded:
- Grand prize: $1000 and, when rights allow, republication in carte blanche
- Second prize: $350
- Third prize: $150
All three prize winners will receive a one-year membership in the Quebec Writers’ Federation.
How to Submit
Prepare the following two files to upload:
- PDF of the table of contents of the print or online magazine/journal in which the poem/story/non-fiction piece appeared.
- PDF of the poem/story/non-fiction piece as it appeared in print or online.
These PDFs should be legible scans of print publications or screenshots of online publications. In the event that this is not possible, you may submit a PDF converted from the final edited version of the file.
Any inquiries about eligibility should be directed to Rachel McCrum, Membership and Communications Coordinator of the Quebec Writers’ Federation: rachel@qwf.org or 514-933-0878.
