4. Will I retain the rights to my work?
5. Will my story be published?
The author retains all rights to their submitted work.
By submitting your story to our contest, you grant JSM Contest the right to publish your name and story title on our website and in promotional materials.
If you are a contest winner or finalist, we will publish the story on our website.
Prize winning stories will also be published in an anthology of winnings stories, to be published after the third year of the contest.
Minor typos and formatting issues will more than likely not affect the judges' decisions, but at this time we will allow you to resubmit your story with minor changes. If you are submitting an entire new story, you will have to pay another entry fee.
3. Can I make changes to my submission after I submit?
Yes, you can resubmit the same story for no fee up to three times, until the deadline.
2. Is there a genre restriction?
Stories can be in any genre, intended for an adult audience,
and will be judged for creativity and writing quality. Only short prose
fiction will be accepted. Poetry submissions will not be accepted. Stories for
children will not be accepted.
You can find all of our frequently asked questions here: F.A.Q.s
If you have any questions about our contest, please don't hesitate to email us at jsmcontest@gmail.com
This is the most asked question about the contest. Our goal is to support and encourage new or late-blooming writers who are trying to become established as authors, so it might make sense to change our wording to "emerging authors". For now, here is our definition of "unpublished author".
1. Can you clarify what you mean by "unpublished
author"?
For this contest, being an unpublished author means:
a) That you have not published a single work of fiction over
10,000 words for payment, in any form.
b) That you have not had more than 3 works of fiction under
10,000 words selected for publication for payment, by a publisher other than
the author, in any form.
You ARE still eligible if:
a) You have self-published a novel or novella but have not
sold any copies.
b) You have self-published short fiction on your own
personal platform.
c) You have published short fiction with a third party
publication but did not receive payment.
d) You have won a prize for this or another contest. Being
published as a contest winner does not count unless you were paid specifically
for publication of your story.
You can find all of our frequently asked questions here: F.A.Q.s
If you have any questions about our contest, please don't hesitate to email us at jsmcontest@gmail.com
Last year, the majority of entries in our contest came from Fredericton, where the contest originates. I am hoping to spread the word to writers throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. You can help by downloading and sharing the flyer at the link below.
Fawn Parker is a writer and researcher from Toronto. Her
most recent novel Hi, It's Me was published by McClelland &
Stewart in 2024 and was a finalist for the Writer's Trust Atwood Gibson Prize.
Her debut poetry collection Soft Inheritance was awarded the JM
Abraham Atlantic Book Award and the Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize. Fawn is the
Poet Laureate of Fredericton and a PhD candidate at the University of New
Brunswick.
Robin Kotze is a prolific
reader and writes short stories for fun. During his diverse and illustrious
career, he has been a university professor, investment banker, international
consultant, and a researcher who authored a number of business management
books.
Robin is a long time friend of
the Stewart family – Cathy, Kennedy, Evan, and Julia – and is now retired
in Fredericton.
Heather’s professional career
included roles at CIBC in various locations throughout Nova Scotia. After
moving to Truro to raise her family, she helped develop and manage Muskol
Lures, a division of Muskol Inc.
Heather has been a lifetime
enthusiast, participant, contributor, and performer through her music. Notably,
she served for a number of years on the board and as president of the New
Glasgow Music Festival, helping to enrich the local arts scene.
A lifelong lover of literature,
Heather has been a member of a number of book clubs, one of such clubs for over
20 years. Heather also enjoys the camaraderie of the Harbour Hookers
rug-hooking community.
She and her late husband, Chuck,
raised three children in Truro. She is now enjoying spending time with her
children, their spouses and her six grandchildren. She loves gardening and
travelling with her family, enjoying life along the Northumberland Strait.
As a cherished godmother of
Julia Stewart, Heather is deeply honoured and pleased to support this
competition as a tribute to Julia’s memory.
Happy New Year! The 2026 Julia Stewart Memorial Short Story Contest is now open for submissions. The contest closes at midnight Atlantic time on July 5, 2026.
If you are an unpublished author who lives in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia, we invite you to submit a short story up to 1500 words. You must be at least 16 years of age to enter.
Please read our submission guidelines before entering. Send any questions to jsmcontest@gmail.com
Thanks so much to Tony Astles for sharing this video of the first Julia Stewart Memorial Awards.
The first ever winner of the Julia Stewart Memorial Short Story Contest is Ryan Marshall of Fredericton.
Read the winning story: The French Play
Ryan Marshall is a writer of heirloom horror living in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of New Brunswick. His writing has taken him to such distances as Tottori Prefecture, Japan, where he lived for several years before returning to Canada. He is presently developing a collection of horror fiction concerning the history of New Brunswick.
The second place winner of the 2025 Julia Stewart Memorial Short Story Contest is Stacy de Vries of Nova Scotia.
Read the story: The Girl Who Lit the World
I am a Valley Girl from Nova Scotia, happily married for over 33 years and the proud Mom of two amazing women.
Having bought, sold and renovated several homes and rental properties over the years, a career in Real Estate seemed evident. I love helping clients and the independence of running my own business. When not working, I enjoy lake life with family and friends and especially love my newest role as Mema to Peyton (2 ½) and Ries (1).
Travel is a passion of ours, and most trips revolve around live music. I also love cooking, movies, pop culture and of course, reading. I serve as Co-Chair on the Board of Directors for Chrysalis House, our local Women and Children’s Shelter and am involved with several community fundraising events throughout the year.
I was inspired to write my short story after I saw the contest posted on Facebook; it was meant to be a personal dedication to my dear friend, Julia. I decided to submit it to support the initiative and make a donation to the MS Society, which was so important to her. She was a great light in this world who shone brightly on us all!
The third place winner for 2025 Julia Stewart Memorial Short Story contest is Bilge Bayhan of Fredericton.
You can read the story here: SALT
Honorable mention in the 2025 Julia Stewart Memorial Short Story Prize went to Jane Thomson of Fredericton for her story One Thing That Is the Same. The story is not published on the website, but will be published in the future contest anthology.
Jane Thomson lives in Fredericton with her wonderful family where she
teaches law and enjoys listening to podcasts that recap Bravo television
programs. She has enjoyed creative writing ever since she was young, but life
and career obligations got in the way for a long time. Thanks to the Julia
Stewart Memorial Short Story Contest, she has found her way back to it. She
plans on never leaving again.
We were so impressed with the quality of work that was submitted this year, making it very hard for the judges to narrow it down and select the winners.
Here are some of the stories that were submitted in 2025:
Hey, I Think My Car Is on Fire! by Jon Fidler
His Name Was Curtis by Leslie Sloat
The Fox On the Nighttime Highway
The Long Walk by C. Paul M. O'Connell
The Parliament of Owls by M. D. H.
Part of the legacy of this project is to donate the entry fees to causes that were close to Julia’s heart. The recipient of this year's contest is MS Canada. Ambassador Brittany Fraser was on hand to accept a cheque for $1560 on behalf of the organization. This donation is comprised of $560 in entry fees and an additional $1000 from the sponsor, Cedar Valley Investments.
We had a full house yesterday afternoon at Gallery 78. It was a fun, exciting, and emotional event. Thank you so much to everyone who attended.
The winners are:
First prize $2500 ~ Ryan Marshall of Fredericton
Second Prize $1000 ~ Stacy deVries of Nova Scotia
Third Prize $500 ~ Bilge Bayhan of Fredericton
Honorable Mention $200 ~ Jane Thomson of Fredericton
Read the top stories here:
The French Play by Ryan Marshall
The Girl Who Lit the World by Stacy deVries
