There are a number of writing awards at the University of Toronto for writing in a variety of genres—not just for academic writing but for creative writing and journalism as well. Some awards require you to enter. For other awards, eligible students in the relevant academic unit will automtically be considered. Note that not all awards require you to be a student at U of T. The Norma Epstein National is open to students registered in any Canadian university. Hart House has two annual contests that are open to all Hart House members. See below to find out more. Follow the links for more detailed descriptions of the awards:

• Hart House hosts two annual literary contests: its Annual Literary Contest and Poetry Prize. Both contests are open to Hart House Members in good standing, excluding professional writers of fiction and non-fiction and poets who have published a book of poetry. Deadlines are usually early to mid January. Check the Hart House website for exact dates. Winning stories and poems will be published in the Hart House Review. 1st Prize: $200, 2nd Prize $150, 3rd Prize $100.
• The Innis College Evelyn Cotter Book Award was established in honour of Evelyn Cotter, a former Director of the Innis College Writing Centre. It is given annually to one or two Innis students who have "demonstrated through diligent work in the Writing Centre their commitment to achieving excellence in writing." Value: approximately $100.00. The recipient is chosen by the Director and instructors of the Writing Centre.
• University College offers three writing awards for UC students: The Norma Epstein Foundation Awards in Creative Writing offer prizes in the total amount of approximately $2,000 each year in the categories of Poetry, Drama, Novel, Short Story, and Other Prose. The Frederic Davidson Competition offers one first prize of $1,000, one second prize of $500, and one third prize of $250 each year for essays dealing with English or French literature. The Meyer (Mike) Greenstein Memorial Student Award for Writing Excellence offers a single prize of up to $1,000 each year for excellence in academic writing, creative writing, travel writing, or journalism. Deadline is May 1 of each year.
• University College also sponsors the Norma Epstein National Award for Creative Writing, a biennial national prize of $1,000, open to any student regularly enrolled in an under-graduate or graduate degree course at a Canadian university. Competitors may submit a long poem or a group of poems; a full-length play or a group of shorter plays; a novel or a collection of short stories. Deadline is May 1.

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