Submissions Now Open for the 2026 Department of English Creative Writing Awards

A poster promoting SMU English Creative Writing Awards

Submissions are now open for the 2026 Joyce Marshall Hsia Memorial Poetry Prize and Margó Takacs Marshall Prize for Excellence in Short Story Writing. 

Entry deadline for both contests: Friday, February 20, 2026. 

Prizes and Submission Guidelines

Joyce Marshall Hsia Memorial Poetry Prize
  • First Prize - $225.00
  • Second Prize - $175.00
  • Third Prize - $125.00
  • Honourable mention (if warranted) - $75.00 

Guidelines:

  1. Open to all currently enrolled students of Saint Mary’s University. 
  2. Both written (6-10 pp) and spoken-word (5-10 mins.) submissions are welcome.
  3. Submit work as a single pdf (for written submission) or mp3/mp4
    file (for recorded submissions). Label the file with your name and student number. 
  4. Only one poetry submission is permitted per student. (Your submission can be a single long poem, or a sequence/series of poems, as long as it doesn’t total more than 10 pp / 10 mins.) 
  5. All poems should be original and previously unpublished.
  6. Submissions should include a cover email including the author’s name, student number, and contact information.  
  7.  Send entries to English@smu.ca, with a clearly labelled Subject line:
    English Writing Contest Submission 
Margó Takacs Marshall Prize for Excellence in Short Story Writing
  • First Prize - $300.00
  • Second Prize - $250.00
  • Third Prize - $200.00 
  • Honourable mention (if warranted) - $150.00 

Guidelines:

  1. Open to all currently enrolled students of Saint Mary’s University. 
  2. Both written (>15 pp) and oral (>15 mins.) submissions are welcome. 
    Submit work as a single pdf (for written submission) or mp3/mp4 file (for recorded submissions).
  3. Label the file with your name and student number. 
  4. Only one short-story submission is permitted per student. (Your submission can be a single story or a sequence/series of short-short stories, as long as it doesn’t total more than 15 pp. / 15 mins.)
  5. All stories should be original and previously unpublished. 
  6. Submissions should include a cover email including the author’s name, student number, and contact information.
  7.  Send entries to English@smu.ca, with a clearly labelled Subject line:
    English Writing Contest Submission 

For inquiries email the Department Chair: Tatjana.Takseva@smu.ca