Writers' Trust of Canada
All finalist works should ideally demonstrate a distinctive voice, as well as a persuasive and compelling command of tone, narrative, style, and analysis.
The prize particularly values books which provide the general reader with an informed, unique perspective on the practice of Canadian politics, its players, or its principles.
Past winners include Jane Jacobs for Dark Age Ahead and James Orbinski for An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-first Century.
The Royal Bank of Canada Foundation sponsors the award as part of their RBC Emerging Artists Project, which works to support talented young adults in their development of professional careers in the arts.
[4] The prize is awarded for literary excellence in the category of nonfiction, which includes, among other forms: personal or journalistic essays, memoirs, commentary, both social and political criticism, history, and biography.
Finalist works should demonstrate, in the opinion of the jury, a distinctive voice, as well as a persuasive and compelling command of tone, narrative, style, and technique.
Pearson Canada, an educational book publishing company, took over the award in 1999, and Nereus Financial, a stock brokerage firm, became the sponsor from 2006 to 2008.
The prize is worth CA$25,000; the winner is selected by a three-member, independent judging panel and announced annually at the Writers' Trust Awards.
Matt Cohen (1942–1999), winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction in 1999, was a celebrated and prolific writer who died from lung cancer at the age of 56.
This CA$25,000 prize is presented annually to a Canadian or permanent resident whose life has been dedicated to writing, in honour of distinguished work in poetry or prose in either English or French.
The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People is worth CA$25,000 and is limited to works written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
It has been administered by the Writers' Trust since 2002 and was previously awarded by the Metcalf Foundation, which strives "to enhance the effectiveness of people and organizations working together to help Canadians imagine and build a just, healthy and creative society".
[10] The Journey Prize is a CA$10,000 award given annually to a new and developing writer of distinction for a short story published in a Canadian literary publication; there is no age restriction.
The CA$10,000 prize has been presented to a Canadian writer who is part of the LGBTQ community and demonstrates great promise through a body of work of exceptional quality.
The writer is housed in a two-bedroom bungalow in Dawson City, Yukon, the boyhood home of author Pierre Berton.
The annual lecture series has invited some of Canada's most prominent authors to discuss the theme of "A Writer's Life" in front of their peers since 1987. Notable names such as Dionne Brand, Tomson Highway, Olive Senior, Hugh MacLennan, Mavis Gallant, Timothy Findley, W. O. Mitchell, Pierre Berton, P. K. Page, Dorothy Livesay, Alistair MacLeod, and Margaret Atwood, among others, have shared the personal challenges they faced in forging their own paths as writers.
Approximately 45 minutes in length, the lectures are meant to provide a unique account of a period when a national writing community was just being formed.
The series offers insight into the work of Canadian literature's heroes and heroines, the profession of writing as a whole, and Canada's unique cultural history.
The WT Fellowship rewards one writer $50,000 for demonstrating exceptional creative ability and outstanding promise in their publications to date.
Fellows are invited to attend a two-week, self-directed residency at the Leighton Artists’ Colony at The Banff Centre in Alberta.
Writers who have a strong publishing track record in the categories of fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, or literature for young people are eligible.
Held in Ottawa at the Fairmont Château Laurier, the event brings together national politicians, writers, diplomats, and leaders of the arts and business communities.
Corporate donors and individual patrons are seated at a table with a published Canadian author and enjoy an evening of conversation and literary entertainment.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised on this night alone, when more than fifty of Canada's top writers mingle with curious guests.
The Writers' Trust helps each host secure an ideal literary guest; past participating authors include Lawrence Hill, Adrienne Clarkson, Margaret MacMillan, and Robert Rotenberg.
