Kloppenburg Hybrid Grain Contest

Sponsored by Henry and Cheryl Kloppenburg

 Submissions are now open until October 15, 2023.

 

Are you looking for a writing challenge?

If so, we’re looking for literary-based hybrid work that defies genres, bends rules, scavenges, juxtaposes, toys with truth. Our new Kloppenburg Hybrid Grain Contest is not for the meek of pen! It’s for writers who create their own literary landscape.

 

 

View Entry Guidelines Payments

The contest is open from August 1 to October 15, 2023

1st prize


Two $1000 Cash Prizes

2nd prize


Two $750 Cash Prizes

3rd prize


Two $500 Cash Prizes

What do we mean by hybrid work? Think conceptual, outside the rubik’s cube, ripoff and mashup, Oulipo to algorithms, graphics and collage, photo-unrealism, sound work and found play, words as code, writing as a visual form, bio poetry, neural fiction, constraint-based writing, the everlasting sentence. The word is your oyster!

Some writers and examples to inspire you: Sue Howe, Paul Dutton, Lily Hoang, Renee Gladman, Charles Bernstein and A.E. Stallings, Jason HuffAdam Dickinson, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Sylvia Legris, Bhanu Kapil.

 

Grain is a print publication, so we can’t take:

  • Strictly digital work.

  • Coloured text or images (as we print in black and white only). 

Judges

 
Picture by Jon McRae

Chelene Knight is the author of three books. She is currently working on a commissioned book on Black self-love and joy. Let it Go is forthcoming with HarperCollins Canada in 2024. Chelene is the founder of Breathing Space Creative Literary Studio.

www.breathingspacecreative.com

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Trussler has recently published two poetry collections, Rare Sighting of a Guillotine on the Savannah and The History Forest along with a collection of creative non-fiction essays The Sunday Book. Much of this work has to do with the complications of writing at the beginning of the Anthropocene. He teaches English at the University of Regina.

 

 

Entry Guidelines 

Guidelines
  1. The fee for Canadian entrants is $40 (includes GST) for a maximum of five pages.
     
  2. The fee for US entrants is $50 and the fee for international entrants is $60, payable in US or Canadian funds.

Please make your cheque or money order payable to the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild (SWG). You may also pay online via Stripe (see below). Every entrant receives a one-year (four-issue) subscription to Grain Magazine, starting after payment is received.

  1. Each entry must be original, unpublished, not submitted or accepted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition. Work that has appeared online is considered published and is not eligible.
     
  2. All entries in this contest will be judged anonymously, on merit alone. The judges' decisions are final. Judging is blind. Do not print, type, or write your name on the text pages of your entry.
     
  3. Entries must be accompanied by one cover page, regardless of the number of entries submitted, and must provide the following information. If you are submitting via email, include this information in the body of your email.
    • Your name, complete mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
    • Title of your entry or entries.
    • Category you are entering: Poetry (one or two poems to a max of 100 lines each) or Fiction (one or two stories to a max of 2,500 words each).
    • Word Count (Fiction) / Line Count (Poetry). An absolutely accurate word or line count is required.
    • Method of Payment (if submitting by email).
       
  4. Entries must be printable on 8 1/2 x 11-inch pages and must be sent as individual files if emailed.
     
  5. Names of the winners and titles of the winning entries of the Kloppenburg Hybrid Contest will be posted on the Grain website in February. Contest winners will be notified directly either by telephone or by email.
     
  6. MAIL: Send your entry or entries to:

Kloppenburg Hyprid Contest
PO Box 3986
Regina, SK  S4P 3R9
Canada

Mailed entries will not be returned. Keep a copy of your entry.

  1. EMAIL: Send your entry or entries as individual files to grainmag@skwriter.com with a subject line that contains the author’s full name, contest name, and payment method (cheque, money order, or PayPal). For example, Jane Grain, Hybrid Grain, Cheque OR Stripe. REMEMBER: Judging is blind. Do not put your name on your entry. Acceptable file formats are Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF.
     
  2. Make your cheque or money order payable to the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild (SWG). If you want to pay online, use the Stripe order form below. If payment is from a name other than that which is on your submission, please let us know.
     
  3. All entries must be POSTMARKED or EMAILED by the deadline. Entries postmarked or received by email after this date will not be accepted.
     
  4. Entries by fax will not be accepted.
 

FAQ's

Can I enter more than once?

You may enter as many times as you like, provided you include another entry fee for each entry beyond the first; therefore, two Canadian entries would cost $80.

Do I need to send a separate cover page for each piece I enter?

No. If you are sending more than one piece per submission, send only one cover page that includes all the information for every piece of hybrid writing you are entering up to five pages. [Example, a one-page piece could be mostly visual and another four-page piece mostly text]. Don't forget to include your complete contact information!

And what happens to my free subscription if I enter more than once?

Your Grain subscription will be increased by four issues for each entry fee received beyond the first. So, if you enter twice, you will receive a two-year (eight-issue) subscription to Grain Magazine. If you already have a subscription to Grain, we'll simply add another four issues to your current subscription for each entry fee received. If you’d rather your additional entry fee go towards a subscription for someone else, please indicate this on your cover letter, and provide your friend’s name and mailing address.

Will entrants be notified of the winners?

No. Winners and the names of the winning pieces will be posted on our website in February.

What if the postmarked deadline falls on a weekend when the post offices are closed?

Because we are using a postmarked deadline, if the deadline falls on a day when the post offices are closed, we will accept entries postmarked on the next business day.

Payment

Pay Online!

You may pay for your online entry by paper means (cheque or money order) or online via PayPal. Use the form below to submit your online payment. Remember: each entry of UP TO two poetry entries or UP TO two fiction entries requires one entry fee. If you submit a poetry entry and a fiction entry, that’s two entry fees. If you submit four fiction entries, that’s two entry fees. All fees are subject to GST (5 %). 

After paying, please print a copy of the PayPal receipt for your records.We will match your payment with your entry by your name. If there is any doubt, we will contact you to confirm your receipt number.


Our Funders

Grain is grateful to its funders: Sask Lotteries, Canada Council for the Arts, and the financial support from its private donors.
Grain is published by the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild.