FreeFall Magazine Prose & Poetry Contest

ANNUAL PROSE & POETRY CONTEST 2026

CONTEST IS OPEN: DEC 1, 2025 – APR 30, 2026

Over $2000.00 in Prizes
1st Prize (Poetry and Fiction) $500.00 Sponsored by Frontenac House and AWCS
2nd Prize (Poetry and Fiction) $250.00 Sponsored by Freehand Books
3rd Prize (Poetry and Fiction) $125.00 Sponsored by FreeFall Literary Society
Honourable Mention (Poetry and Fiction) $75.00 Sponsored by Freehand Books

All contest entries are also automatically entered into the Lynn Fraser Memorial contest for a chance to win $100.

Short Story Dispenser: Short story and poetry submissions may also be considered for distribution in Calgary Public Library’s Short Story Dispenser. Pieces that meet the Library’s guidelines will be published in the Short Story Dispenser at least 3 months after appearing in FreeFall magazine. Stories will be considered if they are less than 1200 words, contain suitable content for all ages, and are written by authors with ties to Alberta. Authors will not receive further compensation for having their work published in the Short Story Dispenser.

Entry fee: $25.00 (includes one year subscription for your first entry only)

Additional entries $5.00 (Add all entries. To pay for additional entries, see the receipt email that will be sent after entering the contest and follow the link)

For US and International entries who would like to receive a hard copy of the magazine, please choose the entry fee with the appropriate shipping cost. A digital subscription will be provided for those who only pay the $25.00 fee.

Maximum 3000 words prose, or 3 poems per entry.
Both Electronic entries and Mailed entries must be received on or before April 30, 2026.
Only previously unpublished work may be entered. No simultaneous entries.

Prose entries must be:
Double spaced with a title
Page number at the top of each page
NO authors name on manuscript

Poetry entries must be:
NO author’s name on manuscript
Poems that run more than one page require a title and page number at the top of each page.

Mailed Submissions General Formatting page size: 8.5” X 11” , all margins: 1.5”, 12 pt Times New Roman font. Please save as pdf, doc or docx.

Shortlist and Winners: The shortlist will be announced in early June on our website and social media pages, and the winners announced in mid-September, shortly before the issue is released.

Please Note – Short listed entries may be selected for publication to round out the issue and will be paid the standard rate.