Each summer, Mensa Canada holds an annual literary contest for poetry and short stories.
The theme for 2023 is connections.
You could write about relationships, networks, friends, bonds, agreements, or even the glue that binds you. 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, 2023. Winners will be announced at the Annual General Meeting during the Annual Gathering in Montreal on July 16, 2023.
There will be prizes of $50 and $30 for the top two contestants in each category. There are also $30 prizes for the top contestants in the new <12 and 12-20 age groups. And of course glory, a certificate and the prestige of having a published work.
Need inspiration? Check out the winning entries below the rules!
Contest Rules
- Competition is open to 2023 Mensa Canada members in good standing (paid up).
- The theme is connections.
- There is no entry fee. Contestants may submit one entry in each category.
- Fiction short story must be 1,000 words or less. Poetry must be 30 lines or less (excluding title). Works exceeding this are automatically disqualified.
- Entries must be the sole work of the entrant and must be original unpublished work.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.
- Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and artistic quality. Decision of the panel of judges is final.
- Works containing profanity, vulgarity or offensive material will be disqualified. The judge panel will determine if this condition applies.
- Prizes will be awarded July 16, at the 2023 AGM, in each category to firsts ($50) and second ($30). There are two prizes in a new category for youth entries, $30 for first in the <12 group, and $30 for first in the 12-20 group. If somebody qualifies for a prize in both youth and adult categories, they will get one prize, whichever is the highest value.
- Submissions must be in English or French.
- Submission date is June 26, 2023. Send submissions electronically to mensacanadaliterarycontest@gmail.com.
- By submitting entries for the competition, the entrant accepts all the conditions listed above.

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.
SHORT STORIES
1st Place – “Food For the Dragons” by John Wheatley 2nd Place – “Spelunk (A Dragon Story)” by Robert Burton 3rd Place – “The Unfortunate Affair of the Seven-Headed Dragon with a Princess” by Andrew SzemeredyPOETRY
1st Place – “The Dragon (flies)” by Mahesh Gopalan 2nd Place – “Algonquin 2016” by Warren MilneYOUNG WRITER AWARDS
Young Writers – Senior (12+) 1st Place Poetry – “Mountains Their Thrones” by Roselyn Chen (12) 1st Place Story (Tie)- “Draco Nobilis” by S.S. Beresford (13)
- “A Midsummer Night’s Feat” by Haripriya Radhakrishnan
SHORT STORIES
1st Place – Seeking the Truth Kalyssa Tuz, Warman, SK 2nd Place – First Night Susan Katz, Toronto, ON Finalist – Curieux père que ce père curieux! Gaëtan Lavoie, Gatineau, QCPOETRY
1st Place – Femelle alpha bête Gaëtan Lavoie, Gatineau, QC 2nd Place – What Lies in the Unknown Kalyssa Tuz, Warman, SK Finalist – Curiosity Tony Ryan, Calgary, ABYOUNG WRITER AWARDS
The Young Writer Awards were created this year in response to fantastic entries from young writers. The judges declared all of these entries winners. Congratulations! Young Writers – Senior (12+)1st Place – What Lies Under My House Ambreena De Menech
2nd Place – Merrick and the Fleet Brandon Phui
Young Writers – Junior (<12)1st Place – Curiosity Roselyn Chen
SHORT STORIES
1st Place – Left Behind
Nancy Shaver, Ottawa, ON
2nd Place – The Balcony
Vanessa Choo, Sechelt, BC
3rd Place – Ink’s Spot
Susan Katz, Toronto, ON
Finalists (Alphabetical Order)
- 17 Minutes by Lynne Butler, St. John’s, NL
- Infinity by Tony Ryan, Calgary, AB
POETRY
1st Place (tie) – Mes yeux d’enfant
Paul Couture, Montreal, QC
1st Place (tie) – To the Swiftest
Arthur J.L. Salvas, Scarborough, ON
3rd Place – It’s You
Carmen Prefontaine, Winnipeg, MB
Finalists (Alphabetical Order)
- Pinotte Lavoie by Gaëtan Lavoie, Gatineau, QC
- Box by Kirsten Oulton, Mississauga, ON
YOUNG WRITER AWARDS
The Young Writer Awards were created this year in response to fantastic entries from young writers. The judges declared all of these entries winners. Congratulations!
Winning Entries (Alphabetical by Last Name)
- The Dragon That Couldn’t Fly by Katherine Luo of Vancouver, BC
- My Latest Face by Kalyssa Tuz of Warman, SK
- The Illusionist by Kalyssa Tuz of Warman, SK
- A Silver-Shoed Scarecrow by Athena Zhuang of Burlington, ON
SHORT STORIES
1st Place – Tsaksithi
Mahesh Gopalan
2nd Place – Sturm and Dung
Barry Schmidl
POETRY
1st Place – Le climat et nous
Marie Pavoine
2nd Place – Eyes
Mahesh Gopalan
3rd Place – Mother
Kalyssa Tuz
SHORT STORIES
1st Place – The Panda and The Princess
John Wheatley, Calgary, AB
2nd Place – The Pox
Cam Clark of Calgary, AB
3rd Place – A Transition in Color
Mahesh Gopalan of Thorold, ON
Finalists (Alphabetical Order)
- The A Game by Darcee Gunlock of Lethbridge AB
- Einstein’s Enigma by Frank Luger
- A Yellow Envelope by Summer Ross, Toronto ON
POETRY
1st Place – De montagne à rivière
Yves Langlois, St.-Armand, QC
2nd Place – Outside The Box
Kaylyssa Tuz, Preeceville, SK
3rd Place – No Wall Between Us
Carol Ogden, Vancouver, BC
Finalists (Alphabetical Order)
- Fly by Amit Ummat of Burlington, ON
- The Meeting by Darcee Gundlock, Lethbridge, AB
- Retour au baroquisme by Gaetan Lavoie, the Gatineau/Ottawa Chapter
SHORT STORIES
1st Place – Return Passage
Barb Lehtiniemi, Glen Waters, ON
2nd Place – Serenity Beckons
Mahesh Gopalan, Thorold, ON
3rd Place – When Poppies Bloom
John Wheatley, Calgary, AB
POETRY
1st Place – Reflections
Mahesh Gopalan, Thorold, ON
2nd Place – Legacy
Sylvia Teaves, Burlington, ON
3rd Place – Didn’t We Do This Last Year?
Arthur J.L. Salvas, Scarborough, ON
SHORT STORIES
1st Place – Sarah
Cam Clark, Calgary, AB (Calgary Chapter)
2nd Place – Thea Finds the Words
Paul Tiege, Red Deer Township, AB (Edmonton Chapter)
3rd Place – Soliloquy
Ken Stark, Coquitlam, BC (Vancouver Chapter)
Finalists (Alphabetical Order)
- The Fable of the Mountain Walk by Karalee Coleman, Calgary, AB (Calgary Chapter)
- The Frying Pan by Randy Moore, Grimsby, ON (Southern Ontario Chapter)
POETRY
1st Place – Sanctuary
Darcee Jean Gundlock, New Dayton, AB (Calgary Chapter)
2nd Place – Le français… Je me Mouille
Gaëtan Lavoie, Gatineau, QC (Ottawa Chapter)
3rd Place – I Thank My Wife For My Life
Robert Lee Slattery, Stoney Creek, ON (Southern Ontario Chapter)
Finalists (Alphabetical Order)
- One Argument for Life on Other Planets by Marion Young, Regina, SK (Saskatchewan Chapter)
- The Arab’s Revenge by Roger Tulk, St. Catherines, ON (Southern Ontario Chapter)
- Lives … Midweek … A Wednesday by Alan Skinner, Vancouver, BC (Vancouver Chapter)