Anvil Press submissions are closed until June 2025.
1. Registration: The deadline for early registration is July 31st, 11:59 p.m. PDT. Normal registration must be made by August 29th, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Early entry fee is $45; normal entry fee is $50.
2. Preparation: You are allowed, though not required, to develop ideas and an outline prior to the contest. You do not have to submit your outline, and you can change and adapt your novel as you see fit. Keep your outline brief—the shorter it is, the more rewarding the creative experience.
3. Location: Novels may be written using any method, and in any location, anywhere in the world. Yes, the honour system still exists! (You’d only be cheating yourself out of the experience! Seriously. We can tell if you didn’t commit to the contest.)
4. Writing: The actual writing must begin no earlier than 12:01 a.m., on the Saturday of the Labour Day weekend, and must stop by 11:59 on the following Monday. Novels may not be edited outside the contest time frame.
5. Form: The contest exists to help you write the novel you want, so you may write in any genre, on any subject you wish. There are no limits to the novel’s length, but entries average 100 typed pages, double-spaced. Thereabouts. Length is a factor in judging, but it is only one of many. You may use whichever font type and size you’d like as long as it is clear and readable. Times New Roman or Arial in size 11 or 12 are good starting points.
6. Submitting: You are not required to submit your manuscript for judging, but we suggest you do. It completes the experience—and it’s the only way to get your certificate. You may submit your novel online. Once you have paid your registration and submitted this form, you will be sent a link and instructions for uploading your finished manuscript. You may also submit in print. If printing, mail your completed novel to us as soon as possible after the weekend is over. If you handwrote your novel, you have a few days to type it up…otherwise just send it in right away. Novels must be postmarked on or before Monday, September 16th to qualify.
7. Witness statement: Include a statement, signed by a witness, confirming the novel’s completion over the Labour Day long weekend with your novel. This can be uploaded to Submittable in the same way you upload your manuscript (just as a separate document), or if mailing you can include it with your mailed manuscript. If your witness isn't physically with you, they can also email an attestation to your character. There are no rules or templates for this statement, just make sure it affirms that you followed the rules.
8. Other rules: Manuscripts will NOT be returned so keep a copy. If you plan to revise it, please save a copy of the work in its original form. Entrants retain all copyright for their work, however, publishing an entry in any form (including self-publishing, chapbooks or web publishing) before the winner is announced will disqualify the author from winning. After the announcement, we will present the winning author with a publishing contract. All other entrants may develop, publish, dissect or ignore their novels as they wish. Each entrant holds the copyright to his or her own novel. Mailing Instructions Send typed, double-spaced novels, printed on standard white paper with pages numbered (no folders, clips or staples please), to the following address before Wednesday, September 10th 2025. (Long-time entrants: please note our new mailing address!)
3-Day Novel Contest
Anvil Press
PO Box 3008,
Stn. Terminal,
Vancouver, BC
V6B 3X5 Canada
Send novels using regular mail—the date you send it is what counts, not the date it arrives, so you don’t need to spend extra money on couriers or special packaging. SASEs and IRCs are no longer necessary. Our team of judges spend the fall and winter reading and rereading your entries. Winners will be announced the following spring. Then we distribute the prizes and send all successful entrants a list of the winners and a fancy e-certificate to prove that you really did it!