2024 CNFC-HLR nonfiction contest is now closed.
The Humber Literary Review (HLR) and the Creative Nonfiction Collective Society (CNFC) have joined forces to bring you a Canada-wide creative nonfiction contest. We are thrilled to have Lisa Bird-Wilson as this year’s contest judge. Winners will be announced in the spring of 2024.
CONTEST CLOSES Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 11:59pm PST.
First place: $1,000 and publication in The Humber Literary Review
Second place: $300 and publication on CNFC website
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WHAT: Original previously unpublished creative nonfiction – maximum word length 3,000 words (no minimum).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 13, 2023 to February 29, 2024.
FEE: General public $20; 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.
- 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 strongly 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 $20 or $15 entry fee.
- Please take note of the word count and ENSURE that your entry is no more than 3,000 words (excluding the title). 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.
To ensure your entry qualifies, please tick off the following boxes before submitting your entry:
❑ There is zero reference to my name (first and/or last) or my identity anywhere in the submission.
❑ The piece submitted is based on work that is entirely my own.
❑ My submission has not been published previously, nor has it been accepted for publication, either in print or online.
❑ I understand that each entry I submit must be supported by a payment of $15 or $20 depending on whether I am a CNFC member.
❑ I have carried out a word count and confirm that my submission is 3,000 words or less (excluding the title). The exact word count is entered on the top right corner of the first page.
❑ My submission has been checked to ensure that
-
- the margins are no less than 1 inch (top, bottom, left, and right),
- the entire entry is double-spaced,
- is presented in either Times Roman, Garamond, or Arial, 12-point font, and
- is submitted in one of the following file formats: .doc, .docx, .txt., or PDF.
The Humber Literary Review, a literary and arts magazine, publishes two print issues a year (fall/winter & spring/summer). Its pages feature personal essays, short fiction, poetry, artwork, and comics by emerging and established Canadian artists. The HLR is distributed by Magazines Canada and can be found in bookstores and on newsstands across the country. Work from the HLR has been featured in Best Canadian Poetry, Best Canadian Essays, and has been nominated for a National Magazine Award. Find out more.
For the sixth year in a row, the Humber Literary Review (HLR) and the Creative Nonfiction Collective Society (CNFC) will join forces to bring you a Canada-wide creative nonfiction contest. Past contest winners include Raymond Gariepy, Taslim Jaffer, Nancy O’Rourke, Deborah Elderhorst, Margaret Nowaczyk, and Becky Blake.
Past contest news:
How winning the 2015 CNFC contest changed me
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CNFC and HLR Contest Longlist Announced!
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