- WHAT: Submit your original, unpublished poem or poetry collection.
- WHEN: Submission period is open from April 1, 2026 to June 1, 2026 at 16:59 p.m. ET.
- WHO: All Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada
- HOW: Your text must be submitted in Word or Wordpad and be submitted anonymously: the name of the entrant must not appear anywhere on the text to ensure the objectivity of the jury.
A fee of $25.00 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.
- WHAT YOU CAN WIN: The winner receives $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, will have their story published on CBC Books and will have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their story published on CBC Books.
- WHAT YOU CAN WRITE: You can write a poem or collection of poems, up to 600 words in length. There is no minimum word requirement.
- WHO WON LAST YEAR: Jordan Redekop-Jones won the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize for her poem Mixed Girl as Cosmogonic Myth. You can read all the poems shortlisted for the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize here.
- SUBMIT IN FRENCH: If you're looking to submit in French, you must log in to the French site at prixlitterairesrc.submittable.com
- WANT HELP? Subscribe to the CBC Literary Prizes newsletter for writing tips and inspiration.
- OTHER PRIZES: The 2027 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September and the 2027 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January.
Read the rules and regulations before submitting to the CBC Poetry Prize