Submit

The Liar publishes emerging and established artists from Canada and beyond.

CapU students are eligible to submit work to our 2025 Writing Contest and our 2025 Design Contest, which will remain open until November 8. Both contest winners will receive a $500 prize. Both winners and all finalists will be published in the 2025 edition of The Liar.

Please find a link to our submission portal after the contest guidelines.

GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • Up to three (3) submissions per person per submission period. Please submit each piece in separate documents.
  • We only accept online submissions. 
  • Please include your preferred return email address.
  • Please type all written submissions and only use the doc, docx or pdf formats.
  • We prefer new and unpublished submissions, but we also accept submissions that have previously been published in print or online. If you are submitting a previously published piece, please note this in the body of your submission email and include where it was published.
  • We accept simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please let us know.
  • We encourage submissions from intersectional identities and marginalized groups such as writers of colour, writers with disabilities, LGBTQ+, low-income writers, and indigenous writers. Feel free to include in your email if you identify as one or more.
  • Please provide a content warning if material may be triggering. Thanks!

WRITING CONTEST (POETRY, PROSE, DRAMA, SCREENPLAYS, ETC.)

  • We accept writing submissions up to 2,000 words.
  • Hybrid-genre, creative non-fiction, literary essays, creative journalism and personal essays are welcome, however we do not publish academic essays.
  • Hybrid and cross-genre works in poetry are welcome.
  • We accept poetry and prose translations into English. Please include the original author, title and language it was originally published in the body of your submission email.

DESIGN CONTEST

  • We accept photography, traditional, digital, hybrid and experimental art.
  • Please submit all art in high resolution (preferably 300dpi or higher) PDF, TIFF or PNG.

GENERAL SUBMISSIONS

  • This category is for work you would like to publish in The Liar but which is ineligible for the contests (e.g. not fitting theme, for reasons of medium or genre, not a Capilano student, etc.).
  • We accept work for print and/or online publication in this category. Such work may include digital or hybrid forms, music, short films, interactive texts, etc.
  • Submitters who are not CapU students must submit their work in this category.

SUBMIT TO THE LIAR