Events & Workshops

The SWG is now receiving submissions for the 2025 John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Award in Fiction.

The John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Award recognizes excellence in unpublished book-length manuscripts. The award rotates between the genres of poetry, fiction, and literary non-fiction.

This award contest accepts unpublished full-length fiction manuscripts. The manuscripts may be for children, young adults or adults. We do not have minimum or maximum word counts but your manuscript must be a full-length completed and polished work of fiction in any of its genres (i.e. short stories, full-length prose in any genre, including but not limited to literary, historical, romance, fantasy, thriller, horror, western, mystery, YA or children’s books, etc).

No more than 50% of the manuscript may have been published in magazines, anthologies or by broadcast or online media. The work must not be accepted for publication at the time of submission, nor can it be published before the announcement of the awards in October (although it may be accepted for publication).

Prizes are:

• 1st place:  $1,000
• 2nd place: $650
• 3rd place: $350

Winners will read from their work at the John V. Hicks Awards ceremony at SWG's Conference in Saskatoon at the Park Town Hotel in Saskatoon on October 24, 2025.

Deadline: Manuscripts must be received by Thursday, June 25, 2025 by 4:30 pm. If your manuscript will be mailed or couriered, please ensure it arrives in our office by June 25.

Your entry must include:

1. Completed application form
2. Two printed copies of your manuscript
3. Payment of the $35 entry fee

Full submission guidelines and award criteria are available at https://skwriter.com/programs-and-services/awards/the-john-v-hicks-long-manuscript-awards. Work that does not follow the submission criteria will not be accepted.