Heather O’Neill is a Montreal-based novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. She is the author of Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, and Daydreams of Angels, and has been shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction, the Giller Prize in two consecutive years, the Orange Prize for Fiction, and has won CBC Canada Reads, the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, and the Danuta Gleed Award.
Prize Money: Worth a total of $3,000
Submissions Close: June 30th, 2026
The winner will receive $2,000 and publication in our Fall 2026 print issue, Vol. 6.1; second and third place will receive $500 each and publication in Vol. 6.1. The prize is open to all Canadian writers.
- Yolk: An interview with 2024 winner, Sabrina Fielding
-CBC Books: "Toronto-based writer Sabrina Fielding named winner of inaugural Montreal Fiction Prize"
First Place: Sabrina Fielding, “Knick Knack”
Second Place: Zoe Lubetkin, “Too big, the perfect size”
Third Place: Eva Crocker, "Every Player Wins"
As selected by 2024 judge Souvankham Thammavongsa
Please submit through our Submittable. All submissions guidelines can be found on Submittable.
Q: Is this prize only open to Montreal writers?
A: No. Despite the name, this prize is open to all Canadian writers. For our publication, we consider this to be: Anyone with Canadian citizenship or permanent citizenship, residing here or abroad; and anyone that currently resides in Canada
Q: Can I submit multiple entries to the Fiction Prize?
A: Contestants can submit more than one story, but will have to submit them individually and pay the entry fee for each story submitted.
Q: Is there a theme for the prize?
A: No. Although the winners will be published in a print issue with a theme, the contest is handled separately, and no prize submissions are expected to adhere to a theme.
Q: Can I submit to the Fiction Prize and to regular print consideration?
A: Yes, though you'll have to submit to them separately and pay the separate submission fees.
Q: Can I submit the same story to both the Fiction Prize and to regular print consideration?
A: Yes, though we recommend submitting separate stories to increase your odds of publication.
Q: When will I hear back about my story?
A: The longlist will be announced at the end of September, and the winners shortly after. Please do not inquire about the status of your submission until then.
Q: Are submissions read anonymously?
A: Yes. Therefore, do not include any personal information in your text. Any submissions including personal information (name, email, etc.) within the text will not be considered.
2025 First Place: Hannah Berger, “A Swelling”
2025 Second Place: Su Chang, “The Lying Life of Children”
2025 Third Place: Han Wei Luo, "Beasts of Burden"
As selected by the 2025 judge Billy-Ray Belcourt
All three stories are published in Vol. 5.1.
2024 First Place: Sabrina Fielding, “Knick Knack”
2024 Second Place: Zoe Lubetkin, “Too big, the perfect size”
2024 Third Place: Eva Crocker, "Every Player Wins"
As selected by 2024 judge Souvankham Thammavongsa
All three stories are published in Vol. 4.1 and on our digital publication.
