Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
Deadline February 18 (must be received by this date), formerly March 13. Recommended free contest for debut books by Canadian authors aged 18+ gives prizes of C$20,000 in three categories: Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, and Genre Fiction (genre rotates annually). The 2026 genre for Genre Fiction is Speculative Fiction. Books must have been published or self-published in the preceding calendar year, except in Genre Fiction, where books may have been published in the three preceding years. Complete online application form, along with a link to the submitted book from the kobo.com store and a 250-word description of what makes the book a winning entry. Contest sponsor Rakuten Kobo is an international digital bookseller and self-publishing platform for e-books and audio books.
Source: https://www.kobo.com/media-hub/rakuten-kobo-emerging-writer-prize
Published: February 16, 2026
