Priscila Uppal Memorial Award for Poetry 

Contest Dates

• March 1st to May 1st 2026
• Short List and Winners will be announced in July 2026.

Named “Canada’s coolest poet” by Time Out London, Priscila Uppal was a tour-de-force and her poetry was anything but sit-down, tame, or by the book. Priscila wasn’t afraid to wear wigs, be theatrical, and laugh in the face of the darkness we all face, to put her hands right in that darkness and dig around for something to grasp onto. For this contest, our first under Canthius’s new leadership, we encourage submissions that explore that darkness and find ways to grab ahold of something in the midst of it all. Our hope is that this award will honour Priscila’s legacy as a mentor and friend to many. 

• First Prize: $500 + publication in Canthius
• Runner-up: $200 + publication in Canthius
• Entry Fee: $15 (paid through submittable), and $5 for each subsequent entry.

2026 Judges

To mark the return of the PUMA here at Canthius, our 2026 competition will be jointly judged by volunteers from our Board of Directors and Editorial Collective. This year’s judges are:

Sneha Madhavan-Reese, Puneet Dutt, Amy Leblanc, Karen Schindler, Manahil Bandukwala, Ashley Hynd, and Natalie Lim

Guidelines

• We accept contest submissions from women, trans, nonbinary, Two-Spirited, and genderqueer/gender non-conforming writers.
• Canthius is committed to publishing diverse perspectives and experiences and strongly encourages women of colour, including Indigenous and Black women, to submit. We welcome submissions in Indigenous languages. 
• Entries must be unpublished and not simultaneously under consideration for any other contest or publication. 
• The $15 submission fee for this fundraising initiative serves as a donation to the journal in an effort to return it to print publication after the hiatus and change in leadership. Multiple entries are welcomed and may be submitted for an additional $5.
• Submissions should include up to four poems or four pages, whichever comes first.
• Please do not include your name or contact information on your submission document, as poems will be judged blind. 
• Through Submittable, please provide a short cover letter with your entry. Please ensure that identifying information is placed in the cover letter and not on the submission document.  
• We will respond to the winners by email. Please be sure to designate Canthius as an approved sender to prevent our response from being caught in your email spam filters.
• International submissions are welcome. 
• Canthius is committed to publishing diverse perspectives and experiences and strongly encourages women of colour, including Indigenous and Black women, to submit. We welcome submissions in Indigenous languages. 
• If you require assistance submitting in an alternate format or require further accessibility assistance in order to submit to our contest, please forward your request to info (at) canthius (dot) com and let us know how we can best assist you in making your submission. If you are unsure about your submission format, please contact us with questions at info (at) canthius (dot) com.
• We have reserved a limited number of free entries for those in need of financial assistance. Please contact us as info (at) canthius (dot) com if the submission fee is prohibitive to your entry in this contest.