Writing Contests: June 2025
- Lilyana Page
- May 5
- 3 min read
This month, I've pulled together three writing opportunities that you might enjoy. Delve deep into the connections between Iceland and Canada, try your hand at a sonnet, or consider owning up to the worst writing mistake you've ever had the chance to blunder through. Whatever you choose, do a good job!
For any of the June 2025 writing contests below, make sure you go directly to the contest source and read all available information found there, as sometimes I get stuff wrong, or details change after I publish my blog post.
Any quotes beneath the different headings are from the featured contest's website. Have fun, and good luck!
Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest
Contest Deadline: June 1st, midnight, CDT.
Entry Fee: Varies. Free for undergraduate college students as well as anyone high school aged or younger.
Special Requirements: None found.
Theme: Entries must (obviously) be sonnets.
Age Category: Best I can tell, all ages are eligible.
Rights Information: "The author retains all copyrights to the submitted sonnet. Winning sonnets will appear on this website with the copyright notice intact and may be published in a forthcoming anthology. By entering the contest, the author consents to the publication of a sonnet selected as a winning entry."
Prizes: Please see the bottom of this page.
Up to three sonnets per entry, number of entries unlimited.
Not quite sure what a sonnet is? This page might help.
You can visit the contest site here.
Guidelines specifically can be found by following this nice, handy link.
Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Poetry & Short Story Contest
Contest Deadline: June 7, 2025
Entry Fee: FREE
Special Requirements: "...winners must be able to accept a Canadian cheque in CAD funds."
Theme: 'You do not need to be of Icelandic descent to submit an entry, however material reflecting Icelandic culture and interests will be given preference, as will entries that reflect our 2025 theme, “Woven Together: 150 years, Iceland and Canada.”'
Age Category: Junior (12 and younger); Intermediate (teens 13-18 years); and Open (no specific age category)
Rights Information: Not found.
Prizes: Same in both categories, poetry and short story. Junior 1st Place = $50; Intermediate 1st Place = $75; Open 1st Place = $125
Poetry: Maximum 2 entries per person. Maximum 300 words
Short Story: Maximum 1 entry per person, and no more than 1,000 words.
"Winning entries will be published in the Lögberg-Heimskringla and the Icelandic Festival official souvenir program."
You can find out more about the contest here.
My Writing Journey
Contest Deadline: June 30, 2025
Entry Fee: FREE
Special Requirements: None found.
Theme: "The worst writing mistake I’ve ever made."
Age Category: 16 and up.
Rights Information: "Writers retain full copyright over their work."
Prize: "NZ $200 (R2 000 or £100)." The winning entry is evidently also posted on their website. You can read some past ones yourself by scrolling down this page.
Max 600 words.
"Only one essay per entrant is allowed."
Looking to enter one of the poetry contests above? Take a look at some of the posts I've done on how to write several different kinds of poetry. You might just find something to help you out!
P.S. Here's one of my personal favourite kinds of poetry: the pantoum.
