TNQ is pleased to Announce Two New Contests
Note: Deadline extended to Friday, May 7th, at 5pm!!!
(It will surprise no one to learn that both Kim and I were the sort of student who always turned her papers in on time, even if it meant staying up all night to finish and then handing it in coffee-stained. (I suspect Melissa was also, though she's not in the office today so I cannot confirm this!). So, to everyone who has already entered or will do by our original deadline of May 1, we bow to you as kindred spirits. We truly appreciate your hard work and respect for the rules!
However, we've chosen to extend the deadline because, well, May 1st is a Saturday, and I've found that many of our entrants are opting to call us with their payment info rather than mail a cheque or use Paypal. This is totally cool. But the thing is, I don't work Saturdays, and given the choice of a) coming in tomorrow just to answer the phone or b) arriving on Monday morning to an answering machine chock full of anxious messages from last-minute entrants or c) extending the deadline....even as a hardened deadline-respecter, it was a no-brainer.
And speaking of 'no-brainers'... next year, I will be sure to set the deadline for a time at which TNQ HQ is open for business.
Thanks again to everyone who has or plans to enter our contests!!)
The Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest
1,000 dollars for one glorious poem
Sponsored by TNQ editor Kim Jernigan and family in celebration of the man who sparked their love of poetry, this contest is for poems written in response to an occasion, personal or public-poems of gratitude or grief, poems that celebrate or berate, poems that make of something an occasion or simply mark one. We are interested in light verse and in verse more sober, in the whole spectrum of tones and occasions. One of Nick's own poems, which we think captures the broadness of his (and our) sense of 'occasion', is pictured at left. For a bit lengthier background on the genre, you can also turn to Amanda Jernigan's funny and thoughtful essay on poems and occasions, linked below. Both originally appeared in Issue 100 of TNQ.
We will award a grand prize of $1,000 to the poem judged most worthy. Another $1,000 in prize money will be distributed as the judges fancy. However the prize money falls, the best of what we see will be published in The New Quarterly, at our usual rates, and posted on our website.
Entry fee: $40 for up to 2 unpublished poems, $5 each for additional poems. Submissions include a one-year Canadian subscription (or subscription extension) to The New Quarterly, and may be accompanied by a brief paragraph describing the event that occasioned the poem.
Eligiblity: Entrants must be Canadian or currently residing in Canada. Entries may not be previously published, accepted, or submitted for publication elsewhere. There are no restrictions on length or number of entries, so long as the appropriate fees are paid. Entrants anonymity will be carefully preserved throughout the judging process. Every entrant will receive notification via email that his or her entry has been received. The decisions will by made by August 31; winner(s) and finalists will receive notification by letter.
Deadline: Postmarked May 1
How to Enter
"Yes, Honey, I can See You": On Poems and Occasions by Amanda Jernigan
More occasional verse by Nick Blatchford
The Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest
1,000 dollars for one winning essay
Edna Staebler was a pioneer in the field of literary journalism. Her first article, "Duellists of the Deep", a story about swordfishing with Neil's Harbour fishermen, was published in MacLean's when she was in her mid-40s and won the Canadian Womens Press Club Memorial Award. From there, she went on to write many more articles for MacLean's, Chatelaine, Saturday Night, and others in the decades to come, as well as Cape Breton Harbour, a book about the time she spent there. And, of course, many readers know her best as the engaging voice of Food that Really Schmecks, a series of cookbooks so entertaining that people read them in bed.
Edna opened the door for generations of personal essayists, not just with her example but with her generosity, founding many awards, scholarships, bursaries. In 1981, she helped to found The New Quarterly, and in 2005, we were one of many lucky organizations and individuals to receive a gift from her completely out of the blue, a cheque for $25K.
In the spirit of Edna's contributions to the genre, we are interested in essays of any length, on any topic, in which the writer's personal engagement with the topic provides the frame or through-line. Our only restrictions are that the work be previously unpublished and the writer Canadian.
We offer a $1,000 prize for the winning essay; all submissions will be considered for paid publication in the magazine.
Entry fee: $40 per submission. Each submission includes a one-year Canadian subscription (or subscription extension) to The New Quarterly.
Eligiblity: Entrants must be Canadian or currently residing in Canada. Entries may not be previously published, accepted, or submitted for publication elsewhere. There are no restrictions on length or number of entries, so long as the appropriate fees are paid. Entrants anonymity will be carefully preserved throughout the judging process. Every entrant will receive notification via email that his or her entry has been received. The decisions will by made by August 31; winner(s) and finalists will receive notification by letter.
How to Enter
The New Quarterly is pleased to acknowledge the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Magazine Fund toward the promotion of these contests.
