Second Story Press is happy to announce the launch of its fourth Indigenous Writing Contest. The press is excited to hold this new contest in partnership with GoodMinds.com. We are looking for contemporary writing that reflects the experiences of Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) Peoples written by an Indigenous writer. All entrants must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Indigenous writers aged 18 and older are invited to submit their original, previously unpublished manuscripts to Second Story Press by January 31, 2025. The press is looking for manuscripts written for young children, middle grade, young adult, or adult audiences—both fiction and nonfiction. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript has been accepted elsewhere. The winner of the contest will be offered a publishing contract from Second Story Press. The jury is particularly interested in stories that are contemporary, as well as stories that have an urban setting.
Previous winners of the Indigenous Writing Contest include Auntie’s Rez Surprise by Heather O’Watch, Naaahsa is an Artist! by Hali Heavy Shield, The Train by Jodie Callaghan, and The Case of Windy Lake by Michael Hutchinson.
To be eligible, entrants must identify as an Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit) Person; be 18 years of age or older; be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada; have written original work and have not used AI or an AI generator to create any portion of the work; and be the sole creator and owner of the rights to the submitted work (if the manuscript is co-authored with another writer, please email contest@secondstorypress.ca for eligibility).
Submissions must:
- Be manuscripts of either fiction (chapter books and novels), nonfiction, or picture books. We will not accept poetry, plays, or short story collections.
- Be complete at the time of submission. If not submitted in full, full manuscripts may be requested during the evaluation process.
- Be primarily written in English or accompanied by an English translation.
- Be previously unpublished. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if the manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
What to submit:
- Please submit up to three works consisting of a complete manuscript or a complete detailed outline with a significant number of chapter samples (at least five).
- If submitting a picture book manuscript, you do not need to provide illustrations.
- Please note that we do not publish legends; stories that rhyme; or stories with anthropomorphized (talking) animals or objects.
Submissions for the contest close on January 31, 2025. The jury will deliberate and decide on a shortlist as well as a winner. The winner will be announced in spring 2025. If you have any questions, please email contest@secondstorypress.ca. We thank everyone for taking the time to submit!
Second Story Press is pleased to accept online submissions for the Indigenous Writing Contest via Submittable. We are looking for contemporary writing that reflects the experiences of Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) Peoples written by an Indigenous writer. All entrants must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Indigenous writers aged 18 and older are invited to submit their original, previously unpublished manuscripts to Second Story Press by January 31, 2025. The press is looking for manuscripts written for young children, middle grade, young adult, or adult audiences—both fiction and nonfiction. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript has been accepted elsewhere. The winner of the contest will be offered a publishing contract from Second Story Press. The jury is particularly interested in stories that are contemporary, as well as stories that have an urban setting.
Previous winners of the Indigenous Writing Contest include Auntie’s Rez Surprise by Heather O’Watch, Naaahsa is an Artist! by Hali Heavy Shield, The Train by Jodie Callaghan, and The Case of Windy Lake by Michael Hutchinson.
To be eligible, entrants must identify as an Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit) Person; be 18 years of age or older; be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada; have written original work and have not used AI or an AI generator to create any portion of the work; and be the sole creator and owner of the rights to the submitted work (if the manuscript is co-authored with another writer, please email contest@secondstorypress.ca for eligibility).
Submissions must:
- Be manuscripts of either fiction (chapter books and novels), nonfiction, or picture books. We will not accept poetry, plays, or short story collections.
- Be complete at the time of submission. If not submitted in full, full manuscripts may be requested during the evaluation process.
- Be primarily written in English or accompanied by an English translation.
- Be previously unpublished. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if the manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
What to submit:
- Please submit up to three works consisting of a complete manuscript or a complete detailed outline with a significant number of chapter samples (at least five).
- If submitting a picture book manuscript, you do not need to provide illustrations.
- Please note that we do not publish legends; stories that rhyme; or stories with anthropomorphized (talking) animals or objects.
Submissions for the contest close on January 31, 2025. The jury will deliberate and decide on a shortlist as well as a winner. The winner will be announced in spring 2025. If you have any questions, please email contest@secondstorypress.ca. We thank everyone for taking the time to submit!