A total of 30 writers from various regions in Canada have been selected for the longlist of the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize from nearly 3,000 submissions. The list includes works such as “YSL Classes” by Oluwatoke Adejoye from Burnaby, B.C., “Things I Know for Sure” by Katrina Agbayani from Toronto, and “Pattern Recognition” by Amber Allen from Guelph, Ont.
The judging process involves an initial screening by a reading committee made up of qualified editors and writers, followed by a second round of selection to determine the final longlist. The entries are evaluated based on language usage, subject originality, and writing style by the jury, consisting of Maria Reva, Terry Fallis, and Tracey Lindberg.
The shortlist for the prize will be announced on April 30, with the winner revealed on May 7. The recipient of the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and have their work published on CBC Books. Additionally, four finalists will each be awarded $1,000 and have their submissions featured on CBC Books.
Last year’s winner was Dorian McNamara for his story “You (Streetcar at Night).” The French-language competition longlist has also been unveiled, and further details can be found on the Prix de la nouvelle Radio-Canada website.
For those interested in the CBC Literary Prizes, submissions for the 2026 CBC Poetry Prize are being accepted until June 1. The 2027 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September, followed by the 2027 CBC Nonfiction Prize in January.
