The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a North American literary award, created in 2020 to honour literature by women.
[2] The prize is awarded to a Canadian or American woman or non-binary writer for a work published in English.
[2] Novelist Carol Shields was selected as the namesake of the award, both in honour of her record as an advocate and mentor for women writers and because of her status as a dual citizen of both countries.
[4] In addition, the winner will also select an emerging female or non-binary writer, who will receive a year-long mentorship.
[4] The prize was created by Canadian novelist Susan Swan and editor Janice Zawerbny, with an organizing committee that includes noted women literary figures such as Alice Munro, Dionne Brand, Jane Urquhart, Charlotte Gray, Margaret Atwood, Marie-Claire Blais, Natasha Trethewey, Jane Smiley, Francine Prose and Erica Jong.