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Programs & Awards

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) offers three broad types of programs:

  • Fostering programs create space, time, or occasion for writing, fulfilling our mission to foster creative writing and the profession of writing in Nova Scotia (See also our Workshops.)
  • Advisory programs facilitate direct writer-to-writer assistance, fulfilling our mission to provide advice and assistance to writers at all stages of their careers. (See also our Resources.)
  • Recognition programs help writers grow their readerships, fulfilling our mission to encourage greater public recognition of writers and their achievements. (See also our public Events.)

The following table lists WFNS programs by type and by eligibility for writers of specific experience levels.

Summaries of (and links to) our individual programs can be found below this table.

Program nameType of programOpen to
new & emerging writers?		Open to
early-career authors?		Open to
established &
professional authors?
Alistair MacLeod Mentorship ProgramAdvisory✓✓
if 'emerging' in
the form submitted		✓
if 'emerging' in
the form submitted
Book AwardsRecognition—✓✓
BooktoberfestRecognition—✓✓
Coffee ChatsAdvisory✓✓✓
Ellemeno Visual Literature PrizeRecognition✓✓✓
Emerging Writers PrizesFostering✓✓—
Jampolis Cottage Residency ProgramFostering✓✓✓
Manuscript Review ProgramAdvisory✓✓✓
Message on a BottleRecognition✓✓✓
Nova Writes CompetitionRecognition—✓
if 'emerging' in
the form submitted		✓
if 'emerging' in
the form submitted
Writers In The SchoolsFostering—✓✓

The Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program supports writers who are on the cusp of professional publication and who are committed to their writing and creative development. It is a disciplined, focused, and supportive one-on-one apprenticeship program through which writers expand and hone their craft. Details

WFNS administers and acts as steward for two Nova Scotia Book Awards—celebrating and promoting excellence in Nova Scotian nonfiction and poetry—and three Atlantic Book Awards—celebrating and promoting excellence in Atlantic Canadian fiction, poetry, and YA & children’s literature. Each year’s shortlists introduce local, national, and international readers to a tremendous body of work and the vibrant culture of the region. Details

Booktoberfest is an annual literary festival that celebrates Nova Scotian authors & publishers—with a focus on books published over the past year—with sales, signings, and free creative writing workshops. Details

Our members-only Coffee Chats program connects writers who have questions about the writing life with experienced authors, who provide strategic advice and inspiration. Details

The Ellemeno Visual Literature Prize is an annual celebration of creative cross-pollination between the literary arts and the visual arts. The winning writer or artist receives a cash prize along with digital publication and a featured interview on the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia website. Details

WFNS administers three prizes for emerging and early-career writers, which recognize barriers to literary creation—those faced by speculative fiction and nonfiction writers from equity-deserving communities; by women and other gender-marginalized writers; and by Black and African Nova Scotian writers—and support these writers as they advance book-length works-in-progress. Details

The Jampolis Cottage Residency Program hosts residencies for emerging, established, and professional writers at Jampolis Cottage, a lovingly maintained and updated 230-year-old Georgian colonial house on the shores of the Minas Basin in Avonport, Nova Scotia. Details

Our members-only Manuscript Review Program connects writers with experienced and skilled authors and editors, who provide feedback and creative guidance on literary manuscripts, fiction query letters, and nonfiction pitches. Details

Message on a Bottle is an annual micro-writing contest for the publication of very short stories and poems on the labels of locally crafted beverages. Details

The Nova Writes Competition supports emerging writers in Nova Scotia—and more established writers exploring new forms—through developmental and publication opportunities. All entrants receive feedback from competition readers; finalists receive additional feedback from judges; and winning entries are published in the annual Nova Writes anthology. Details

Writers In The Schools (WITS) is WFNS’s most public educational outreach program, bringing award-winning Nova Scotian authors into elementary and secondary schools to provide presentations, workshops, and readings for students of every grade. Details

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Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) uses the following terms to describe writers’ experience levels:

  • New writers: those with less than two years’ creative writing experience and/or no short-form publications (e.g., short stories, personal essays, or poems in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with more than two years’ creative writing experience and/or numerous short-form publications.
  • Early-career authors: those with 1 or 2 book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short-form publications.
  • Established authors: those with 3 or 4 book-length publications.
  • Professional authors: those with 5 or more book-length publications.

Please keep in mind that each form of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children and young adults, and others) provides you with a unique set of experiences and skills, so you might consider yourself an ‘established author’ in one form but a ‘new writer’ in another.

The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the above definitions. A workshop’s participants should usually have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with information, strategies, and skills that suit their career stage. 

For “intensive” and “masterclass” workshops, which provide more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed closely.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If you’re uncertain of your experience level with regard to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca