Thank you to our sponsors H.P. Tergesen & Sons, University of Manitoba Department of Icelandic Language and Literature

The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba invites you to submit previously unpublished poetry and/or a short story. No entry fee, cash prizes! Winning entries will be published in the Lögberg-Heimskringla and the Icelandic Festival official souvenir program. 

Prize money is paid in CAD funds and winners must be able to accept a Canadian cheque. Please review the guidelines to submit below carefully. 

Categories

Poetry

• Junior (12 and under) - 1st Place - $50
• Intermediate (13-18) - 1st Place - $75
• Open - 1st Place - $125

Short Story

• Junior (12 and under) - 1st Place - $50
• Intermediate (13-18) - 1st Place - $75
• Open - 1st Place - $125

General Guidelines 

Please send your material by June 7th, 2025 with your complete contact information to writingcontest@icelandicfestival.com Entries will not be returned.

• Because submissions are masked do not include any identifying information in the submission itself or in the file name.

• Only previously unpublished work is eligible to submit. If your poem has been published in a journal, on a blog, or on social media, it is not eligible.

• Participants who do not adhere to the submission guidelines will be automatically disqualified.

• Winners must be able to accept a Canadian cheque in CAD funds. 

• Selected winners will not be eligible for entry to compete for the following 2 years, although a short story winner may compete in poetry or vice versa.

• 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.”

Formatting Guidlelines 

• Please upload your submission as a single attachment of a Microsoft Word, TXT or RTF (rich text format) document.   
• Include page number and the title of the submission at the top of every page of your submission.
• Double spaced with 1-inch margins
• Readable font such as Time New Roman, 11pt size.7.

Please include a cover letter with the following information for each submission

• Full Name
• Pen Name (if different than above)
• Title of Work
• Total Word Count
• Mailing Address
• Email Address
• Phone Number

Poetry Submission Guidelines

• Maximum 2 entries per person.
• Do not exceed word count of 300

Short Story Submission Guidelines

• Maximum 1 entry per person.
• Do not exceed word count of 1000

Congrats to the 2024 Winners

OPEN SHORT STORY WINNER
“A Winter's Fall”
Emma Sophia Gonzalez Tabarez

INTERMEDIATE SHORT STORY WINNER
“The Warrior Frozen in Time”
Perryn C.

OPEN POETRY WINNER
“Gudrid Goes to Gimli”
James Hargrove