“Where You’re Planted” Awaits Your Story
Happy Canada Day 🇨🇦, beautiful writers and readers!
What better way to celebrate our great nation than by announcing the opening of our 6th Annual Fiction Anthology Contest? Today marks the beginning of something special—your chance to add your voice to the chorus of Canadian storytellers who are open to exploring the theme of Where You’re Planted.
From sea to shining sea, across our nearly ten million square kilometres of possibility, we know there are stories brewing in Canadian hearts that deserve to be heard. Stories that only you can tell. Stories that make our literary landscape richer and infinitely more compelling.
What’s Waiting for You in Where You’re Planted?
This year’s theme invites you to explore endless possibilities—from growth and expansion to climate fiction to the horror of being trapped. We’re hungry for stories that are light or dark, humorous or haunting, romantic or mysterious. Pull us in every direction possible. Make us feel something we’ve never felt before.
The prizes? We hope it will be our biggest yet:
Cash prize (50% of all entry proceeds—the more entries, the bigger the pot! And thanks to early sponsorship, there’s already a nice collection sitting in the coffers—meaning that we will be able to guarantee a $500 prize for first place and also offer a second (and possibly third) place prize for the first time in the history of this contest.)
Publication in our gorgeous anthology, which will be produced in both paperback and ebook versions
Automatic Pushcart Prize nomination for the first place winner
Manuscript critique with potential publishing opportunity through Chicken House Press, again for the first place winner
Meet Your Grand Prize Judge: Mitchell Toews
Mitchell Toews is a long-time supporter and champion of Blank Spaces, and he is the Manitoba author of Pinching Zwieback (At Bay Press, 2023). He has two books forthcoming: a second collection with Vancouver's Pulp Literature Press in December 2026 and his debut novel with Winnipeg's At Bay Press in May 2027. He has been nominated for the Journey Prize and has received multiple Pushcart Prize referrals for his writing, which is shaped by the storytellers’ places: the Boreal forest, small towns, campfires, and prairie bars. [Read his full bio on the contest page.]
Think about the landscape that shapes you. Think about how place becomes identity. Think about the Canadian stories that refuse to look away.
What Past Participants Are Saying:
“What starts as throwing your hat into the writing ring has the potential to develop into a rewarding process of making the cut, reading your story aloud to an audience of other talented writers, and watching the words you carefully spliced together be memorialized behind the cover of an anthology. It's been such a rewarding, organized process and Alanna is always a transparent, supportive guide behind the project that makes sure it lands perfectly.” —Desiree Nippard, past finalist
“Participating in the contest felt friendly and fun at every step, and the prompt was engaging and interesting. I also liked the timely deadlines and feedback about whether my piece might make it into the next round. Although I didn’t know it at the time, it has become apparent that when I entered this contest, I also entered into a writing community, and a relationship with Chicken House Press/Blank Spaces.” —Crystal Randall Barnett, past winner
“As an emerging Canadian author searching for literary outlets to showcase my work, Blank Spaces is at the top of my list. When I learned about the anthology contest and its fascinating prompt, ideas started flowing so I quickly got to work. Now I regularly pinch myself when I see my name and story printed alongside seven other incredible authors. This creative community has been very welcoming and provided the encouragement to continue writing.” —Chris J. Meyer, past finalist
Your Story Belongs Here
Never been published? Perfect. Don’t have an agent? Who cares!
We want the raw, real, true YOU—the writer who stays up too late crafting sentences that make readers’ hearts race, who finds beauty in the shadows, who isn’t afraid to explore the spaces between fear and wonder.
Contest Details:
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Word count: 1000-3000 words
Entry fee: $10 (goes directly toward prizes and publication)
Open to: All Canadians (by birth or citizenship)
Theme: Where You’re Planted
Whether you’re from the Maritimes or the Prairies, the territories or the major cities, your story matters. Your voice deserves to be heard. And this July 1st, we’re opening the door wide for you to explore Where You’re Planted and show us what you’ve found there.
The longlist goes live in late October. The shortlist (our final 8) gets announced in November. The winner? December 2026. But your journey as a Blank Spaces storyteller? That starts today.
Ready to submit? Head to blankspaces.ca/fiction-anthology-contest-2026 and let’s see what stories are waiting Where You’re Planted.
Together, we will fill the blank spaces with heart-rendered stories and courageous spirits.
