Polar Expressions is a free Canadian poetry and short story fiction contest for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students. Canadian applicants are allowed one poetry entry and one short story entry. A large number of winners get their poem or short story published in a soft-cover anthology book, and a few lucky winners receive a small cash prize.
The Positives:
- No entry fee.
- No obligation to buy the anthology book.
- Polar Expressions only gets the rights to your story if they publish.
- The poems and stories are short (max. 32 lines of poetry and 450-word stories).
The Negatives:
- Not very selective (approximately 45% of applicants are selected for publishing).
- There are a large number of stories published in the anthology book, and it may be hard for your story to be noticed.
- The anthology books are mainly sold to the contributors.
I feel that Polar Expressions is an excellent first writing contest to enter. They publish a large percentage of submissions, and it is an excellent opportunity for young writers to get their first chance at publication. Like me, I think many kids want to write for an audience, and they would love to be published. After gaining confidence and improving your writing skills, there are other more selective and prestigious contests to enter. If your school library has Polar Expressions books, you can get an idea of what kind of stories or poems they select.
Good luck and have fun writing!