DEADLINES for both competitions MARCH 31, 2025.

The Morley Callaghan “Best Canadian Short Story” Competition and Award submissions:

All genres and styles considered. If submitting more than one story, please complete a Submittable form for each story (we no longer accept submissions by Canada Post).

• A story’s length is not to exceed 5,000 words. Your story should be submitted with double-spacing, on 8.5×11 pages, in a serif (Times, Garamond, etc.) 11 or 12 point font.

• For Submittable, you can upload a file in .doc, .docx, .pdf.

• For mail-in, please do not staple pages together, use a paper clip.

• There is no restriction on the number of submissions, subject matter, or style.

• Important: Do NOT have your name appear anywhere on the pages of the story. Make sure to paginate and put the story’s title on each page.

• Each story submitted requires a $45.00 fee.

• Each story submitted will receive a life time subscription to our Exile Quarterly ($175.00 value).

• Payment by e-transfer to: competitions@exilequarterly.com (indicate what the payment is for).

• Each year we send out by email 15 to 20 general announcements about Exile Editions books and EXILE Quarterly new releases and promotions, information on our literary competitions, open calls for writers to submit to our new anthologies, upcoming literary events, etc. If you prefer we do not add your email to our mailing list, there is a check box option on the submission form (Submittable and Mail-in).

Winners of the Award announcement:

We are planning a September Gala Event in Toronto to celebrate the winners (details tbd)

Publication of your work/terms of use, and conditions:

The winner, and up to the four top finalists, will be published in EXILE Quarterly. Expected publication date is the final quarter of 2025/first quarter of 2026, in issues of Volume 48. Our payments to contributors can be found here: Contributor Fees. (The winner will receive no contributor fee.)

Important #1: Your story (stories) must not have been previously published, and they must not be submitted to any journals/magazines/periodicals (print or online) for consideration/publication during the adjudication of our competition (up to approximately June 15, 2025). If your story (stories) is to be included in a forthcoming book (your own collection) or anthology, we request that this be scheduled for release after April of 2026 (so your work first appears in the pages of our EXILE Quarterly); if you expect this to not be the case, please contact us to receive confirmation that your story is eligible (re: the not previously published rule). Important #2: If you do not do this, and the story is published/scheduled to be published prior to the announcement of the winners, we reserve the right to disqualify the story from the competition.

Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry Competition submissions:

All genres and styles considered. If submitting more than one suite of poems, please complete a Submittable form for each suite (we no longer accept submissions by Canada Post):

• Up to 16 pages of poetry may be submitted as a suite (we advise poems be related, not a hodgepodge of random selections; you may also submit a long/single poem).

Your suite should be submitted on 8.5×11 pages, in a serif (Times, Garamond, etc.) 11 or 12 point font – unless the poem requires a specific font for effect/intent.

• For Submittable, you must upload a file in .pdf format.

• For mail-in, please do not staple pages together, use a paper clip.

• There is no restriction on the number of submissions, subject matter, or style.

• Each submission requires a $35.00 submission fee.

• Each submission will receive a one-year/4-issue subscription to our EXILE Quarterly ($35 value).

• Submissions will not be returned, and will be recycled.

• Important: Do NOT have your name appear anywhere on the pages of the poetry suite. Make sure to paginate and put the poetry suite’s title on each page.

• For mail-in submissions, you are not required to send multiple submissions in multiple envelopes – all can come in one, and then ALL entries paid for by one cheque (payable to The Excelsis Group), or e-transfer (see below). And, do not submit your bio more than once, even if your submissions come at different times through the submission period.

• Regular post is recommended – no need to special deliver as we only look at the postmark.

• Mail-in addressed to: Exile’s $3,000 Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry Competition, c/o Exile Publishing, 170 Wellington Street W., PO Box 308, Mount Forest, ON, N0G 2L0.

• Payment by e-transfer to: competitions@exilequarterly.com (Indicate what the payment is for. Auto deposit is enabled).

• Each year we send out by email 15 to 20 general announcements about Exile Editions books and EXILE Quarterly new releases and promotions, information on our literary competitions, open calls for writers to submit to our new anthologies, upcoming literary events, etc. If you prefer we do not add your email to our mailing list, there is a check box option on the submission form (Submittable and Mail-in).

Winners of the Award announcement:

We are planning a September weekend garden party in Toronto to celebrate the winners (details tbd)

Publication of your work/terms of use, and conditions:

If you are the winner, or among the five finalists, you will be published in EXILE Quarterly (and we expect first publication rights for this). Anticipated publication date is the first six months of 2024, in issues of Volume 47. Our payments to contributors can be found here: Contributor Fees. (The winner will receive no contributor fee.)

Important #1: Your poems must not have been previously published, and they must not be submitted elsewhere for consideration/publication during the adjudication of our competition (approximately August 31, 2023). If your poems are to be included in a forthcoming book (your own collection) or anthology, we request that this be scheduled for release after December 31, 2023 (so your work first appears in our pages); if you expect this to not be the case, please contact us to receive confirmation that your poetry is eligible for the competition (re: the not previously published rule). Important #2: If you do not do this, and your poetry is published/scheduled to be published prior to the announcement of the winners, we reserve the right to disqualify your work from the competition.

The competitions and awards are administered under the auspices of The Excelsis Group and EXILE Quarterly.