CBC Poetry Prize
The 2023 CBC Poetry Prize is now closed
The 2023 CBC Poetry Prize is now closed. Results will be announced in the fall.
Bren Simmers won the 2022 CBC Poetry Prize for her poetry collection Spell World Backwards.
She received $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and will also attend a writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Simmers' poems were published on CBC Books. You can read Spell World Backwards here.
WHAT: Submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems, up to 600 words in length. There is no minimum word requirement.
WHEN: The CBC Poetry Prize is open for submissions between April 1 and May 31 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
WHO: All Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
HOW: While the competition is active, submit online through Submittable. A fee of $25.00 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.
WHAT YOU CAN WIN: The winner will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point, a cultural hub on Toronto Island, and have their work published on CBC Books. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their story published on CBC Books.
WHO IS JUDGING: A team of readers from across Canada will read the entries and determine the longlist. The shortlist and winner will be decided by a jury comprised of Joseph A. Dandurand, Catherine Graham and Tolu Oloruntoba.
WHO WON LAST YEAR: Bren Simmers of Charlottetown won the 2022 CBC Poetry Prize for her poetry collection Spell World Backwards.
WANT HELP: Subscribe to the CBC Poetry Prize newsletter for writing tips and support along the way. We will send you writing tips, tricks and prompts every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday while the CBC Poetry Prize is open.
SUBMIT IN FRENCH: If you're looking to submit to the French poetry prize, while the competition is active, you can enter here.
WANT SUPPORT: Join our Canada Writes Facebook group! It's a place where writers across Canada can connect with each other, support each other and even offer each other feedback.
OTHER PRIZES: The 2024 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September and the 2024 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January 2024.
