The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer who has not yet published his or her first book.[1] Formerly restricted to writers under age 35, the age limit was removed in 2021, with the prize now open to emerging writers regardless of age.[2]
Named in memory of Bronwen Wallace, a Canadian writer who died of cancer in 1989, the award was created in 1994 by her literary executor Carolyn Smart to honour Wallace's work as a creative writing instructor and mentor to young writers.[3] The Royal Bank of Canada stepped in as the award's corporate sponsor in 2012, through its Emerging Artists Project.
The prize has a monetary value of $10,000, with finalists receiving $2,500. The prize traditionally alternates every other year between poetry and short fiction; in 2020 the Writers' Trust announced that they would present awards in both categories.[4]
Winners
- 1994 - Michael Crummey (finalists Nancy Jo Cullen, Noah Leznoff, Tonja Gunvaldsen Klaassen)
- 1995 - Adele Megann (finalists Natalee Caple, Denise Ryan)
- 1996 - Stephanie Bolster (finalists Jacqueline Larson, Shannon Stewart)
- 1997 - Rachel Rose (finalists Gail Andrews, Alan Levin, Oscar Martens, Tanya Palmer, Elizabeth Moret Ross)
- 1998 - Talya Rubin (finalists Sarah de Leeuw, Astrid van der Pol)
- 1999 - Alissa York (finalists Elaine O'Connor, Madeleine Thien)
- 2000 - Sonnet L'Abbé (finalists Ceiran Bishop, Erina Harris, Anita Lahey)
- 2001 - Valerie Stetson (finalists Melanie Jessica Little, Robert McGill, Tanis Rideout, Padma Viswanathan)
- 2002 - Alison Pick (finalists Alison Calder, Seema Goel)
- 2003 - Gillian Best (finalists Kelly Dignan, Nathan Whitlock)
- 2004 - Alison Calder (finalists Elizabeth Bachinsky, Suzanne Hancock, David Hickey, Anna Swanson)
- 2005 - Nicole Dixon (finalists Angela Long, Amy Jones)
- 2006 - Jeramy Dodds (finalists Bren Simmers, Michael Reynolds)
- 2007 - No award presented due to change in award scheduling.
- 2008 - Marjorie Celona (finalists Ben Lof, Grace O'Connell)
- 2009 - Emily McGiffin (finalists Michael Johnson, Jeff Latosik)
- 2010 - Kilby Smith-McGregor (finalists Shashi Bhat, Claire Tacon)
- 2011 - Garth Martens (finalists Raoul Fernandes, Anne-Marie Turza)
- 2012 - Jen Neale (finalists Dina Del Bucchia, Kathy Friedman)[5]
- 2013 - Laura Clarke (finalists Laura Matwichuk, Suzannah Showler)[3]
- 2014 - Erin Frances Fisher (finalists Leah Jane Esau, Jakub Stachurski)[6]
- 2015 - Alessandra Naccarato (finalists Irfan Ali, Chuqiao Yang)
- 2016 - Brendan Bowles (finalists Allegra McKenzie, Hannah Rahimi)
- 2017 - Noor Naga (finalists Tyler Engstrom, Domenica Martinello)[7]
- 2018 - Maria Reva (finalists Sarah Christina Brown, Khalida Hassan)[8]
- 2019 - John Elizabeth Stintzi (finalists Rebecca Salazar Leon, Ellie Sawatzky)[9]
- 2020 - Leah Mol (short fiction), Alexa Winik (poetry)[10]
References
- ^ "The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers". Writers' Trust of Canada. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
- ^ "National literary award removes 'glaringly inequitable' emerging writer age cap". CBC News Windsor, January 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Laura Clarke wins RBC Bronwen Wallace Award". Toronto Star, May 28, 2013.
- ^ "RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers doubles, will give two $10,000 prizes in 2020". CBC Books, January 7, 2020.
- ^ "Jen Neale wins RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers" Archived 2013-06-29 at Archive.today. National Post, May 3, 2012.
- ^ "Erin Frances Fisher wins RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers". CBC Books, May 28, 2014.
- ^ "Noor Naga wins 2017 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers". Quill & Quire. May 31, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ "Maria Reva wins $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers". CBC Books, May 31, 2018.
- ^ Erin Balser, "John Elizabeth Stintzi wins $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers". CBC Books, May 29, 2019.
- ^ "4 emerging Canadian writers receive $10K prizes from Writers' Trust of Canada". CBC Books, October 21, 2020.