Are we feeling particularly “maply” today? Must be Canada Day! We took a literary journey through all things Canada; been here and there, checked dark alleys, took a walk of memories, investigated what is fancied nowadays and learnt who is in the spotlight, but still we have only touched upon the surface of what Canada has to offer. Amongst many things to explore, we thought that Canadian Literary Contests and Awards is something that should not be overlooked on this day and, at the same time, something we tend to know awfully little about. Let’s shake off this shame, shall we?
Starting off gently, this award was formerly known as the Books in Canada First Novel Award. It is presented annually the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada. Existing since 1976, initially it was founded by the literary magazine Books in Canada. First sponsored by Smithbooks and later owned by Chapters Books Inc. it was consequently called Smithbooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award and later it became Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award. In 1995 the concept was reassessed and the first novel review program was introduced along with a restructured judging process. In 1999 the magazine joined powers with Amazon and turned into the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award. This arrangement was the reason for the prize award to be doubled to $10,000. In 2009 the decision was made and the award was sold to Amazon.ca exclusively. The winner for 2013 was Wayne Grady for Emancipation Day.
The full name of this prize sounds The Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers. Established only in 2007, this prize is awarded annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a promising and upcoming Canadian writer who is part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Primarily set up as a grant in memory of Dayne Ogilvie, a book editor, writer, arts manager and former managing editor of Xtra! who died in October 2006, it was re-established as a prize in 2012. Any self-identifying writer is eligible and can be awarded CA $4,000 for their body of work. It is the only prize of its kind in Canada serving the LGBT community. The winner is selected and announced annually during Toronto's Pride Week celebrations. This year’s winner is Tamai Kobayashi. Her first novel, Prairie Ostrich, “is for anyone who has spent time on the outside, looking in.”
This Canadian literary award was established in 1986 as a tribute to the Canadian award-winning writer Marian Engel. A CA $10,000 prize is presented every year to a female Canadian novelist in her mid-career for her outstanding performance in literary field. Both, Marian Engel Award and its companion award for males - the Timothy Findley Award, were discounted as separate and merged into new Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award.
So who else suspects with me that Canadian novelist Andrew Davidson must have sought his inspiration here, when creating female protagonist Marianne Engel from his debut novel The Gargoyle?
Accessible for writers from all over the world, the contest is conducted every September in Canada. How does it work? Entrants have three days to write a novel, they can do some planning prior to the competition and create an outline for their story in advance, but they cannot begin the actual writing until opening day, which traditionally is Labour Day weekend. Three days must prove enough to create, complete and submit the novel, should a writer stand a chance to win. Does anyone still think that NaNoWriMo is a challenge? The winning novel is published by a Canadian independent publisher.
It started off as a friendly contest in a Vancouver bar in 1977 amongst a handful of writers, and in 2006 it grew to become the subject of a reality television program under the auspices of BookTelevision, a Canadian specialty channel produced by CHUM Limited. Placed in Chapters Southpoint, a bookstore in Edmonton, Alberta, twelve writers lived and worked in front of the cameras to international audiences’ amusement. Have you, perhaps, heard about Rachel Slansky? Her Moss-Haired Girl will be released soon.
For a change, let’s explore something that falls under a different category: Awards For Children and Young Adult Literature. Jokingly referred to as The Vicky, this particular prize is a top honour for Canadian children's writers and has been presented since 1963. Currently managed and run by the Writers' Trust of Canada, it annually awards a writer or illustrator whose creative literary output, be it written or visual, was "inspirational to Canadian youth."
The 2013 winner - Barbara Reid - known for “her sophisticated Plasticine illustrations” that embody a keen sense of humour, and always a child-centered perspective, was awarded a mind-blowing sum of $20,000 thanks to sponsoring the Metcalf Foundation.