Annual Literary Contest

Each summer, Mensa Canada holds an annual literary contest for poetry and short stories. The theme for 2022 is dragons.

The sky is the limit for your imagination! Play with this idea and make a short story or poetry, and maybe win a prize!

Submissions must be received by June 26, 2022. Winners will be announced at the Annual General Meeting online on July 17, 2022. 

There will be prizes of $50 and $30 for the top two contestants in each category. New category for youth entries! $30 for top contestants in <12 and 12-20. And of course glory, a certificate and the prestige of having a published work.

Need inspiration? Check out the winning entries below!

Contest Rules

  1. Competitions are open to 2022 Mensa Canada members in good standing (paid up).
  2. The theme is dragons.
  3. There is no entry fee. Contestants may submit one entry in each category.
  4. Fiction short story must be 1000 words or less. Poetry must be 30 lines or less (excluding title). Works exceeding this are automatically disqualified.
  5. Entries must be the sole work of the entrant and must be original unpublished work. The author retains copyright of the story/poetry, but will grant Mensa non-exclusive rights to publish in Mensa newsletters and the Mensa website. The contestants agree that the names of winners may be published nationally.
  6. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and artistic quality. Decision of the panel of judges is final.
  7. Works containing profanity, vulgarity or offensive material will be disqualified. The judge panel will determine if this condition applies.
  8. Winners will be announced at the Annual General Meeting on-line on July 17, 2022.
  9. Submissions must be in English or French.
  10. Submission date is June 26, 2022. Send submissions electronically to mensacanadaliterarycontest@gmail.com or by mail to 184 Chebucto Dr. Oakville, ON L6J 2P9 (postmarked before June 26, 2022).
  11. By submitting entries for the competition, the entrant accepts all the conditions listed above.
Old fashioned Typewriter

Winning Entries

Mensa Canada is proud to announce the winners and finalists of the Annual Literary Contest. We hope that you will enjoy reading the winning entries as much as the judges did.