Prize Guidelines - CREATIVE NONFICTION CATEGORY

Winner: $10,000; Finalists: $2,500

To be eligible for the 2027 awards, an applicant must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. 
• Not have published, or have a contract to publish, a full-length book with a traditional publisher. Self-published books and chapbooks are not disqualifying. Publication in anthologies or journals is permitted. 
• Have at least one publication credit in an independently edited literary magazine or anthology. Journalistic sources are also eligible, provided the applicant’s work is literary journalism rather than reportage. An applicant’s qualifying publication credit must be in the same genre as the award for which they are applying.

Qualifying publication credit details

• Applicants must have at least one publication credit.
• The literary magazine, anthology, or journalistic source must have an independent editorial process (i.e., the work was selected for inclusion by an editor or review board).
• Online literary magazines are eligible, provided they also meet the editorial review requirement. Applicants applying with online publications must supply working links to the piece(s) and the publication’s website.
• Publication credits obtained through enrollment in educational programs (such as in-house program journals or anthologies) are not eligible.

To submit an entry:

• For creative nonfiction and short fiction, eligible applicants should send up to 10 pages, with a maximum 2,500 words, of previously unpublished work. For poetry, eligible applicants should send up to 10 pages (no word limit) of previously unpublished work.
• Candidates must attest that their submitted materials do not contain work generated by generative artificial intelligence (AI).
• Applicants grant Writers’ Trust of Canada and its program partners permission to publish their work in print, digital, and audio digital formats should they be shortlisted (all rights reserved by the writer). 
• For more information, see our eligibility and submission FAQ.

Please ensure that you are happy with your submission and that it is in its final form before submitting.

Formatting guidelines: 

• Give your submission one overall title. Include the title at the top of your manuscript and in the file name of your PDF, and ensure both match the name given for your submission. Please do not include a title page. 
• Your manuscript must not include your name or any identifying information.   
• Include consecutively numbered page numbers.   
• Do not use large images within your manuscript.   
• Use any typeface you wish in 11 or 12 point size.   

Submissions for the 2027 RBC Bronwen Wallace Awards opened on Tuesday, October 13 and will close on Tuesday, December 1 at 11:59PM PT.

Finalists will be announced in March 2027. The winner of each category will be announced in June. All applicants will be invited to literary career development webinars in spring 2027.   For more information, please visit writerstrust.com or contact:

Devon Jackson, Associate Program Director | djackson@writerstrust.com

Prize Guidelines - POETRY CATEGORY

Winner: $10,000; Finalists: $2,500

To be eligible for the 2027 awards, an applicant must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. 
• Not have published, or have a contract to publish, a full-length book with a traditional publisher. Self-published books and chapbooks are not disqualifying. Publication in anthologies or journals is permitted. 
• Have at least one publication credit in an independently edited literary magazine or anthology. Journalistic sources are also eligible, provided the applicant’s work is literary journalism rather than reportage. An applicant’s qualifying publication credit must be in the same genre as the award for which they are applying.

Qualifying publication credit details

• Applicants must have at least one publication credit.
• The literary magazine, anthology, or journalistic source must have an independent editorial process (i.e., the work was selected for inclusion by an editor or review board).
• Online literary magazines are eligible, provided they also meet the editorial review requirement. Applicants applying with online publications must supply working links to the piece(s) and the publication’s website.
• Publication credits obtained through enrollment in educational programs (such as in-house program journals or anthologies) are not eligible.

To submit an entry:

• For creative nonfiction and short fiction, eligible applicants should send up to 10 pages, with a maximum 2,500 words, of previously unpublished work. For poetry, eligible applicants should send up to 10 pages (no word limit) of previously unpublished work.
• Candidates must attest that their submitted materials do not contain work generated by generative artificial intelligence (AI).
• Applicants grant Writers’ Trust of Canada and its program partners permission to publish their work in print, digital, and audio digital formats should they be shortlisted (all rights reserved by the writer). 
• For more information, see our eligibility and submission FAQ.

Please ensure that you are happy with your submission and that it is in its final form before submitting.

Formatting guidelines: 

• Give your submission one overall title. Include the title at the top of your manuscript and in the file name of your PDF, and ensure both match the name given for your submission. Please do not include a title page. 
• Your manuscript must not include your name or any identifying information.   
• Include consecutively numbered page numbers.   
• Do not use large images within your manuscript.   
• Use any typeface you wish in 11 or 12 point size.   

Submissions for the 2027 RBC Bronwen Wallace Awards opened on Tuesday, October 13 and will close on Tuesday, December 1 at 11:59PM PT.

Finalists will be announced in March 2027. The winner of each category will be announced in June. All applicants will be invited to literary career development webinars in spring 2027.     For more information, please visit writerstrust.com or contact:

Devon Jackson, Associate Program Director | djackson@writerstrust.com

Prize Guidelines - SHORT FICTION CATEGORY

Winner: $10,000; Finalists: $2,500

To be eligible for the 2027 awards, an applicant must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. 
• Not have published, or have a contract to publish, a full-length book with a traditional publisher. Self-published books and chapbooks are not disqualifying. Publication in anthologies or journals is permitted. 
• Have at least one publication credit in an independently edited literary magazine or anthology. Journalistic sources are also eligible, provided the applicant’s work is literary journalism rather than reportage. An applicant’s qualifying publication credit must be in the same genre as the award for which they are applying.

Qualifying publication credit details

• Applicants must have at least one publication credit.
• The literary magazine, anthology, or journalistic source must have an independent editorial process (i.e., the work was selected for inclusion by an editor or review board).
• Online literary magazines are eligible, provided they also meet the editorial review requirement. Applicants applying with online publications must supply working links to the piece(s) and the publication’s website.
• Publication credits obtained through enrollment in educational programs (such as in-house program journals or anthologies) are not eligible.

To submit an entry:

• For creative nonfiction and short fiction, eligible applicants should send up to 10 pages, with a maximum 2,500 words, of previously unpublished work. For poetry, eligible applicants should send up to 10 pages (no word limit) of previously unpublished work.
• Candidates must attest that their submitted materials do not contain work generated by generative artificial intelligence (AI).
• Applicants grant Writers’ Trust of Canada and its program partners permission to publish their work in print, digital, and audio digital formats should they be shortlisted (all rights reserved by the writer). 
• For more information, see our eligibility and submission FAQ.

Please ensure that you are happy with your submission and that it is in its final form before submitting.

Formatting guidelines: 

• Give your submission one overall title. Include the title at the top of your manuscript and in the file name of your PDF, and ensure both match the name given for your submission. Please do not include a title page. 
• Your manuscript must not include your name or any identifying information.   
• Include consecutively numbered page numbers.   
• Do not use large images within your manuscript.   
• Use any typeface you wish in 11 or 12 point size.   

Submissions for the 2027 RBC Bronwen Wallace Awards opened on Tuesday, October 13 and will close on Tuesday, December 1 at 11:59PM PT.

Finalists will be announced in March 2027. The winner of each category will be announced in June. All applicants will be invited to literary career development webinars in spring 2027.   For more information, please visit writerstrust.com or contact:

Devon Jackson, Associate Program Director | djackson@writerstrust.com