Deadline: January 31, 2023
Entry fee: $5
About the competition
A writing contest for querying authors
In the fiction world, a query letter alone is not enough to land representation. The manuscript’s first sentence, first paragraph, and first page are the crucial test. However, a query letter acts as a writer’s resume or c/v. It sets the tone, lays out the book’s market potential, and introduces the human behind the words and ideas. And of course, it also pitches the story itself. While an ideal query letter may not seal the deal, it will fill literary agents with eager excitement—a most helpful frame of mind for them to be in as they turn to your sample pages.
Our judge, Michelle Barker, will be asking herself one question: “does this query letter convince me that I’m in the hands of an adept novelist with a unique and engaging story to tell?”
Competition guidelines
- Entry is $5 CAD
- Optional feedback for $20 CAD
One single-spaced page to a maximum of 500 words - Multiple submissions accepted
Original, unpublished, unrepresented work only
Once you’ve paid, send your docx/pdf to [email protected]
Submission deadline: January 31 - Enter the competition here.
