Bellow is a list of contests open to beginner Canadian poets, as there are no/minimal barriers to entrance (besides financial)
Overview
| Name | Details | Award | Fee | Due Date |
| RBC Bronwen Wallace Award – Poetry | 6-10 poems | Winner: $10,000 (3) Finalists: $2,500 | None | January 15, 2024 |
| Arc Poem of the Year | 1 poem | Winner: $5,000 Honourable Mention: $500 Readers’ Choice: $250 | First entry: $40 Additional entry: $5 | February 15, 2024 |
| Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest | 1 poem (250 lines max) | 1st: $2,000 2nd: $500 3rd: $250 | None | April 1, 2024 |
| PRISM Grouse Grind Lit Prize | 300 words max | 1st: $500 2nd: $150 3rd: $50 | First entry: $15 Additional entry: $5 (Free entry for Indigenous and Black writers, and a limited number of free entries for low-income writers) | April 30, 2024 |
| Poetry International Prize | 3 poems | Winner: $1,000 | First entry: $15 Additional entry: $3 (per poem) | May 1, 2024 |
| Montreal Poetry Prize | 40 lines max | Winner: $20,000 | Early entry: $20 Later entry: $25 Additional entry: $17 | Early entry: May 1, 2024 Late entry: May 15, 2024 |
| Far Horizons Award for Poetry – Malahat Review | 3 poems (60 lines max each) | Winner: $1,250 | Early Bird Canadian entry: $15 Regular Canadian entry: $25 Additional entry: $15 | Early Bird: March 31, 2024 Regular: May 6, 2024 |
| Singapore Poetry Contest – Singapore Unbound | 3 poems max | 1st: $300 2nd: $200 3rd: $100 (USD) | None | May 6, 2024 |
| Emerging Writers Contest – Ploughshares | 3-5 pages | Winner: $2,000 (USD) | Digital subscription (required for Non-Americans): $20 | May 15, 2024 |
| RBC Pen New Voices Award | 2,500 words max | Winner: $3,000 CAD & Mentorship | None | May 19, 2024 |
| Bridport Prize | 42 lines max | 1st: £5,000 2nd: £1,000 3rd: £500 | £12 | May 31, 2024 |
| CBC Poetry Prize | 600 words max | Winner: $6,000 & two-week writing residency (4) Finalists: $1,000 | $25 | June 1, 2024 |
| Francine Ringold Awards for New Writes | 5 pages max | $500 | $12 | July 15, 2024 |
| Oxford Poetry Prize | 1 poem | 1st: £1,000 2nd: £200 3rd: £100 | $10 (Limited number of free entries for low-income writers) | August 31, 2024 |
| Open Season Awards – Malahat Review | 3 poems (1oo lines max each) | $2,000 | Early Bird Canadian entry: $20 Regular Canadian entry: $35 Additional entry: $10 | Early Bird: September 30, 2024 Regular: November 1, 2024 |
| Tom Howard Prize | 3 poems (250 lines max each) | $3,500 | $22 | October 1, 2024 |
| Margaret Reid Prize | 3 poems (that rhyme or follow a traditional format) (250 lines max each) | $3,500 | $22 | October 1, 2024 |
| C. P. Cavafy Poetry Prize | 3 poems | $1,000 and publication | First entry: $15 Additional entry: $3 (per poem) | December 1, 2024 |
| Long Poem Prize – Malahat Review | 1 poem (36 lines max) | (2) Winners: $1,250 | Early Bird Canadian entry: $20 Regular Canadian entry: $35 Additional entry: $15 | Early Bird: December 31, 2024 Regular: February 1, 2024 |
| Arc Award of Awesomeness | 1 poem | 50/50 cash prize | $2 (e-transfer or toonie attached to maile) | Last day of every month (ongoing) |
The Canadian Poets Society 