Showcasing SWG Members’ Flash Fiction and Poetry
The Guild Prize (established in 2022) is a response to the desire to offer SWG members more opportunities to have their work reviewed by a jury and be published.
The Guild Prize is an annual contest that runs in the Fall for both flash fiction and poetry with a new theme for each round.
The winners of The Guild Prize receives $250 plus paid publication in the Spring issue of Freelance Magazine.
The 2025 Guild Prize Contest has the theme of "survival" and the submission deadline is January 13, 2025 at midnight.
Contest Guidelines
This contest is open to current Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild members who may be living in Saskatchewan or elsewhere. You must be a current member at the time of the Call for Submissions (no fees outstanding) before submitting for this prize.
Members may submit up to three flash fiction entries (flash fiction is defined as fiction at or below 500 words), and up to three poetry entries of a maximum of 100 lines each.
The fee for entry is $10 for one entry or $25 for up to three entries.
Each entry must be original, unpublished, not submitted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor accepted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition.
Work that has appeared online is considered published and is not eligible.
Entries must be submitted with a completed online application form. Up to three entries may be submitted with the application form.
All entries in this contest will be judged anonymously, on merit alone.
Do not print, type, or write your name on the text pages of your entry.
The judge’s decision is final.
Entries must follow these guidelines:
- Entries must be in English
- Use plain text fonts (i.e. Times New Roman, Arial or Courier) in black
- 12-point font
- Double-spaced with 1-inch margins; poetry may be single spaced
- Prose must not exceed 500 words; poetry must not exceed 100 lines
- Do NOT include your name
- Must be in Word .doc or .docx or PDF files – we will not accept Google docs, Pages, or other formats
- Mailed, faxed or paper entries will not be accepted
- Each flash fiction story or poem must be attached to the application form as an INDIVIDUAL Word or PDF file. For example, for three entries, there should be three individual files
Please submit payment online, or call the SWG Office at 306-791-7740 to make alternate payment arrangements. Please note that submission of work and payment are separate submission steps, and you must submit the work first (by clicking "submit now") and then submit payment.
The winning entry will be published in Freelance and will be paid current Freelance word rates for their publication.
The name of the judges will be announced when the winners are announced.
Entry Form
Payment Form
Past Guild Prize Winners
Fall 2023 - Fiction - Lauren Griffin, "Excavation"
Fall 2022 - Fiction - Carla Barkman, “Four Children”
Honourable Mention to Elizabeth Gardiner for "Tea with Moshom"
Spring 2023 - Poetry - Dawn Muenchrath, "You've heard loneliness is the smoking of our digital age!"
Honourable Mention to Iyla L. Ottoson for "Injustice," and Diana Hope Tegenkamp for "CHROMA: An Erasure of Derek Jarman's Chroma, A book of Colour."
