Alright authors, if you had a book published between Jan 1 2025-Dec 31 2025, please read below.
Deadline for submission: August 25, 2026
FAQ:
How do I submit to this thing: poets, you will need to submit yourselves using this simple form below.
Why do I have to self-submit? : because Isabella has already spammed the publishers too many times about the ongoing 2026 book prizes and she doesn't want to get blacklisted by anybody so soon.
Am I eligible? : do you reside in Canada, have a full-length book of poetry published with a Canadian publisher from 2025? If so, probably yes.
Do I need to send my book: the judge has read most of the titles from 2025, so chances are he already has your book. If he needs to review a book that he doesn't have or has not read, we will contact you by email and ask for an e-copy.
When will the winner be announced: At the 2027 Inaugural Prize gala. (Of course, the winner will be notified ahead of time and be told to keep it a secret while everybody else goes on wondering about whether or not they've won trying not to lose hope the way prize culture goes...)
If I don't win this prize should I feel sad? : No, you should keep writing poetry.
Why do I have to self-submit? : because Isabella has already spammed the publishers too many times about the ongoing 2026 book prizes and she doesn't want to get blacklisted by anybody so soon.
Am I eligible? : do you reside in Canada, have a full-length book of poetry published with a Canadian publisher from 2025? If so, probably yes.
Do I need to send my book: the judge has read most of the titles from 2025, so chances are he already has your book. If he needs to review a book that he doesn't have or has not read, we will contact you by email and ask for an e-copy.
When will the winner be announced: At the 2027 Inaugural Prize gala. (Of course, the winner will be notified ahead of time and be told to keep it a secret while everybody else goes on wondering about whether or not they've won trying not to lose hope the way prize culture goes...)
If I don't win this prize should I feel sad? : No, you should keep writing poetry.
Da f*** do I win?PRIZE: a brand new industry standard, wireless Sony WH-1000xm4 headphones with active noise cancelling valued at $400 AND $100 worth of support from a combo of the poet's choosing:
- contest fee waiver / lit mag subscription - cannabis / bookstore / grocery / pet store / Uber gift cards - 1-year kobo e-book subscription - libro.fm audiobook credits - kids / YA books by Indigenous / LGBTQ2+ / BIPOC authors for the poet's child - Ravensong candles, bath bombs, soaps, products - plain hard cash |
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NIX AWARD JUDGE: rob mclennan
Born in Ottawa, Canada’s glorious capital city, rob mclennan currently lives in Ottawa, where he is home full-time with the two wee girls he shares with Christine McNair. The author of some fifty trade books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, his most recent titles include On Beauty: stories (University of Alberta Press, 2024), the poetry collections the book of sentences (University of Calgary Press, 2025) and edgeless (Caitlin Press, 2026), and the anthology groundworks: the best of the third decade of above/ground press 2013-2023 (Invisible Publishing, 2023). The current Artistic Director of VERSeFest: Ottawa’s International Poetry Festival, he spent the 2007-8 academic year in Edmonton as writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta.
