CBC Poetry Prize

The 2024 CBC Poetry Prize is openbetween April 1 and June 1 at 4:59 p.m. ET.

The winner receives $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts,a two-week writing residency atBanff Centre for Arts and Creativityandtheir work will be published onCBC Books.

Four finalists each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand their work is also published onCBC Books.

Who can enter?

The prize is open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.

There is no age requirement, but if you are a minor, there is a box to check on the entry form. You will need a parent or guardian's signed authorization only if your entry makes the longlist.

What can you submit?

You cansubmit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems. The submission will be judged as a whole and must be a maximum of 600 words (including titles). There is no minimum word requirement.

Work that has been published online or in print or recorded for broadcast is considered "previously published" and is not eligible.

While the competition is active, submit online by creating an account throughSubmittable. A fee of $25 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.

The prize is for one long poem or a collection of poems. You only need to fill out one entry form and make one $25 administration fee payment, but the submission will be judged as a whole.You may submit as many times as you like; each entry will require the $25 submission fee.

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What can you win?

The winner will receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts,a two-week writing residency atBanff Centre for Arts and Creativityand have their work published onCBC Books.

"As much as a residency is about your individual practice, it can also be about building your writing community," two-timeCBC Literary Prizewinner Chanel M. Sutherlandtold CBC Books about her residency. "Before I knew it, I'd become part of a community of writers who to this day continue to inspire and support me."

"My visit let me recommit to trying to carve out pieces of time in my life for writing. I came home thinking, 'How do I do that at home?' It's so easy for the writing time to slip away. But I came home with a project that I now think is possible. That was the big deal,"2016 CBC Nonfiction Prize winner Leslie A. Davidson told CBC Books after completing her residency.

Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books. All the longlisted writers will be featured onCBC Books.

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Who is judging the prize?

A team ofreaders from across Canada will read the entries and determine the longlist. The shortlist and winner will be decided by a jury comprised of Shani Mootoo, Garry Gottfriedson and Emily Austin.

The judging process is blind,so your name will not be known by the readers or jurors until the final decisions have been made.The results (longlist, shortlist and winner) will be revealedin fall 2024.

We have different readers and jurors every year. The 2025 readers and jurors will be announced during the submissionperiod, between April 1 and June 1.

"Knowing that some of the top writers in the country will be reading your work forces you to polish your poem(s),"2022 CBC Poetry Prize winner Bren Simmerstold CBC Books.

Recent pastCBC Poetry Prizejurors includeJoseph A. Dandurand, Catherine Graham and Tolu Oloruntoba;Armand Garnet Ruffo, Megan Gail Coles and Hoa Nguyen;Louise Bernice Halfe, Canisia Lubrin and Steven Heighton; andKaie Kellough, Dionne Brandand Stephen Collis.

LISTEN | 2024juror Emily Austin's advice for those submitting:

CBC Books6:05Emily Austin on judging the 2024 CBC Poetry Prize

Emily Austin chats with CBC Radio West host Sarah Penton about poetry, social media and judging the 2024 CBC Poetry Prize.

Who has won before?

The winner of the 2024CBCPoetryPrizewill join some esteemed company!

Last year's winner was Kyo Lee the youngest ever CBC Poetry Prize winner for her poem lotus flower blooming into breasts, Lee's winning poemwas selected from over 2,400 submissions.

• Books by past CBC Poetry Prize winners and finalists being published in 2024

"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. Winning the prize is not something that I ever imagined happening. The phone call through which I was notified feels like a dream. It's been a blessing to be reminded that there are stories that I can tell that matter to people.

"I don't know where life will take me, but I hope that I will be writing through all of it," LeetoldCBC Books.

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TheCBC Literary Prizeshave been recognizing Canadian writers since 1979.

Other past CBC Literary Prize winners includeSusan Musgrave, Lorna Crozier,Alison Pick,Michael OndaatjeandCarol Shields.

LISTEN | Kyo Lee on winning the 2023 CBC Poetry Prize:

North by Northwest12:53Kyo Lee wins CBC Poetry Prize

Kyo Lee descibes herself as as queer Korean-Canadan high school student, writer and dreamer. Her poem "lotus flower blooming into breasts" won the 2023 CBC Poetry Prize, make her the youngest winner ever.

What if I need help?

"I'd encourage anyone to enter theCBC Literary Prizes.It's a wonderful way to get your work out there, connect with a community of writers across the countryand support CBC! The annual deadlines are a great motivation to finish or rework something to give it that extra oomph,"2020winner Matthew Hollett told CBC Books.

Make sure tosubscribe to theCBCPoetry Prize newsletterfor support along the way. We will send you writing tips, tricks and prompts every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday while theCBC Poetry Prizeis open.

You should also consider joining ourCanada 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.

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Anything else I need to know?

The2025CBC Short Story Prizewill open in September and the 2025CBC Nonfiction Prizewill open in January.

If you're looking to submit to the French poetry prize,you can enter here.

You can see the complete rules and regulations here.

If you are a writing group, library, school or bookstore who wants to let your community know about the CBC Literary Prizes, you can download a poster here.

Have questions? Check out ourfrequently asked questionsor email us at canadawrites@cbc.ca.