Polar Expressions Publishing Student Contests
Polar Expressions Publishing are a Canadian publisher dedicated to creating books that showcase the best poetry and short stories written by Canadians of all backgrounds, ages and professions. They hold student competitions twice a year for Canadian students from kindergarten to grade twelve.
Interested in the competition?
Competition Overview
Canadian students from kindergarten to grade 12
Eligibility
Free
Entry fee
Poetry: November 30, 2024
Short-Story: November 23, 2024
Submission deadline
Competition Details
1. Introduction
Polar Expressions Publishing is a Canadian publisher dedicated to creating books that showcase the best poetry and short stories written by Canadians of all backgrounds, ages, and professions. They hold student competitions twice yearly for Canadian students from kindergarten to grade twelve.
2. Prizes
The prize pool for the contest includes both student and school prizes, divided by grade level from Kindergarten through Grade Twelve.
- Bonus Prizes: Schools earn a bonus entry for each student submission.
- Participation Gift: After shortlisting, all participants receive a bookmark gift. Teachers will be notified of successful entries in early to mid-February.
- Publication and Judging: Students selected for publication will receive a letter of congratulations, and an author release form for parental/guardian permission. Published students’ work advances to the final round of judging, where three top prizes per grade are awarded.
- Prizes by Grade Level:
- Grades K-4: $60 (1st), $40 (2nd), $20 (3rd) for both students and their schools.
- Grades 5-8: $80 (1st), $50 (2nd), $25 (3rd) for both students and their schools.
- Grades 9-12: $100 (1st), $60 (2nd), $30 (3rd) for both students and their schools.
- Additional Rewards: First-, second-, and third-prize winners receive a free copy of the collection featuring their work. Note: The contest is funded by book sales, so free copies are not provided to all published writers.
Submission Details
1. Submission Format
- Poems: 32 lines or less.
- Short stories: 450 words or less, fiction only. No essays, reports, or fan fiction.
Notes: Entries should not have been previously published, including online, and must be removed from online postings before submission. No simultaneous submissions (work submitted to other contests/publishers) are allowed. In addition, all submissions must be original and will be checked for plagiarism.
2. Content and Audience
Any style or subject is allowed, but entries should be appropriate for elementary school libraries.
