You must be a New Brunswick resident to participate in the New Brunswick Writing Competition, unless you are a Writers' Federation of New Brunswick member. WFNB members can participate from anywhere.

The program celebrates eight categories of unpublished writing in the genres of novel, short story, single poem, poetry manuscript, books for young people, and stories by teens, as well as unpublished short film script, and narrative non-fiction.

The New Brunswick Writing Competition began in 1985, the same year as the WFNB's date of incorporation. It’s been held annually ever since, awarding thousands of dollars in prizes over the decades. Many past winners have since achieved national and international publishing fame.