RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Template:Short description 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>"National literary award removes 'glaringly inequitable' emerging writer age cap". CBC News Windsor, January 27, 2021.</ref>
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.<ref name=clarke>"Laura Clarke wins RBC Bronwen Wallace Award". Toronto Star, May 28, 2013.</ref> 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 formerly alternated every other year between poetry and short fiction; in 2020 the Writers' Trust announced that they would present annual awards in both categories.<ref>"RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers doubles, will give two $10,000 prizes in 2020". CBC Books, January 7, 2020.</ref> In October 2024, the Writers' Trust announced that a third award category for creative non-fiction will be added to the awards in 2025.<ref>"Writers’ Trust expands RBC Bronwen Wallace Award to creative nonfiction". Quill & Quire, October 28, 2024.</ref>
Winners
Note that at present, the Writers Trust's awards database does not provide the titles of winning or nominated works prior to 2008. Before that date, titles are provided below where known from other sources; from 2008 on, all titles are listed.
| Year | Author | Title | Category | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Michael Crummey | Poetry | <ref>"Newfoundland poet wins prize". Edmonton Journal, May 28, 1994.</ref> | |
| Nancy Jo Cullen | ||||
| Tonja Gunvaldsen Klaassen | ||||
| Noah Leznoff | ||||
| 1995 | Adele Megann | Short fiction | <ref>"Calgary writer wins national award". Calgary Herald, May 26. 1995.</ref> | |
| Natalee Caple | ||||
| Denise Ryan | ||||
| 1996 | Stephanie Bolster | Poetry | <ref>"Quebec City poet wins developing-writer prize". Montreal Gazette, May 31, 1996.</ref> | |
| Jacqueline Larson | ||||
| Shannon Stewart | ||||
| 1997 | Rachel Rose | Short fiction | <ref>"Quebec writer wins development award: Prize honours poet Bronwen Wallace". Ottawa Citizen, April 19, 1997.</ref> | |
| Gail Andrews | ||||
| Alan Levin | ||||
| Oscar Martens | ||||
| Tanya Palmer | ||||
| Elizabeth Moret Ross | ||||
| 1998 | Talya Rubin | "Ariadne's Thread" | Poetry | <ref>"Prizes, prizes". Montreal Gazette, May 20, 1998.</ref> |
| Sarah de Leeuw | ||||
| Astrid van der Pol | ||||
| 1999 | Alissa York | "Any Given Power" | Short fiction | <ref>Andrew Tolson, "Literary award means time to do what she loves: Winnipeg author Alissa York wins the Journey Prize". National Post, October 21, 1999.</ref> |
| Elaine O'Connor | ||||
| Madeleine Thien | ||||
| 2000 | Sonnet L'Abbé | Poetry | <ref>Rob McLennan, "Two types of poetic meaning". The Globe and Mail, April 28, 2001.</ref> | |
| Ceiran Bishop | ||||
| Erina Harris | ||||
| Anita Lahey | ||||
| 2001 | Valerie Stetson | "The Year I Got Impatient" | Short fiction | <ref>"Wallace Award goes to B.C. writer". The Globe and Mail, May 26, 2001.</ref> |
| Melanie Jessica Little | ||||
| Robert McGill | ||||
| Tanis Rideout | ||||
| Padma Viswanathan | ||||
| 2002 | Alison Pick | Poetry | <ref>"Former Kitchener woman awarded Writers' Trust prize". Waterloo Region Record, March 6, 2002.</ref> | |
| Alison Calder | ||||
| Seema Goel | ||||
| 2003 | Gillian Best | "Seamus & Lloyd" | Short fiction | <ref>"Bronwen Wallace Award goes to Gillian Best". The Globe and Mail, November 19, 2003.</ref> |
| Kelly Dignan | ||||
| Nathan Whitlock | ||||
| 2004 | Alison Calder | "Wolf Tree" | Poetry | <ref>Angie Abdou, "Alison Calder". The Canadian Encyclopedia, July 18, 2012.</ref> |
| Elizabeth Bachinsky | "Home of Sudden Service" | |||
| Suzanne Hancock | ||||
| David Hickey | ||||
| Anna Swanson | ||||
| 2005 | Nicole Dixon | "High Watermark" | Short fiction | <ref>Dan McCaffery, "Sarnian receives literary honour: Dixon Wins Bronwen Wallace Award". Sarnia Observer, December 21, 2005.</ref> |
| Amy Jones | ||||
| Angela Long | ||||
| 2006 | Jeramy Dodds | "Planning Your Seascape" | Poetry | <ref>Rodger J. Moran, "Jeramy Dodds". The Canadian Encyclopedia, September 11, 2011.</ref> |
| Michael Reynolds | ||||
| Bren Simmers | ||||
| 2007 | No award presented due to change in award scheduling. | |||
| 2008 | Marjorie Celona | "Othello" | Short fiction | <ref>"Young writer claims award with Othello". Saanich News, January 25, 2008.</ref> |
| Ben Lof | "When in the Field with Her at His Back" | <ref>"Finalists named for emerging writers prize". CBC News, January 8, 2008.</ref> | ||
| Grace O'Connell | "The Bottlenecks" | |||
| 2009 | Emily McGiffin | "Wokkpash and Other Poems" | Poetry | <ref>"Young B.C. poet wins Bronwen Wallace Award". The Globe and Mail, April 3, 2009.</ref> |
| Michael Johnson | "The Minnow and Other Poems" | <ref>Vit Wagner, "Toronto poet up for emerging writer award". Toronto Star, February 24, 2009.</ref> | ||
| Jeff Latosik | "How the Tiklaalik Came Onto Land and Other Poems" | |||
| 2010 | Kilby Smith-McGregor | "The Bird in Hand" | Short fiction | <ref>"Book winners". Toronto Star, June 10, 2010.</ref> |
| Shashi Bhat | "Indian Cooking" | |||
| Claire Tacon | "Dumb Dog" | |||
| 2011 | Garth Martens | "Inheritance and Other Poems" | Poetry | <ref>Russell Smith, "A refreshing reminder of what poetry can do". The Globe and Mail, May 12, 2011.</ref> |
| Raoul Fernandes | "By Way of Explanation" | |||
| Anne-Marie Turza | "The Quiet III" | |||
| 2012 | Jen Neale | "Elk-Headed Man" | Short fiction | <ref>"Jen Neale wins RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers" . National Post, May 3, 2012.</ref> |
| Dina Del Bucchia | "At the Bottom of the Garden" | |||
| Kathy Friedman | "Under the 'I'" | |||
| 2013 | Laura Clarke | "Mule Variations" | Poetry | <ref name=clarke /> |
| Laura Matwichuk | "Here Comes the Future" | |||
| Suzannah Showler | "The Reason and Other Poems" | |||
| 2014 | Erin Frances Fisher | "Girl" | Short fiction | <ref>"Erin Frances Fisher wins RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers". CBC Books, May 28, 2014.</ref> |
| Leah Jane Esau | "Dream Interpretation" | |||
| Jakub Stachurski | "Screen Capture" | |||
| 2015 | Alessandra Naccarato | "Re-Origin of Species" | Poetry | <ref>"Toronto critics reward best local theatre". Toronto Star, May 27, 2015.</ref> |
| Irfan Ali | "Who I Think About When I Think About You" | |||
| Chuqiao Yang | "Roads Home" | |||
| 2016 | Brendan Bowles | "Wyatt Thurst" | Short fiction | <ref>"Wallace award winner formerly won Star contest". Toronto Star, June 11, 2016.</ref> |
| Allegra McKenzie | "This Monstrous Heart" | <ref>"Writers' Trust announces finalists". Toronto Star, May 12, 2016.</ref> | ||
| Hannah Rahimi | "With My Scarf Tied Just So" | |||
| 2017 | Noor Naga | "The Mistress and the Pig" | Poetry | <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
| Tyler Engström | "after thoughts" | |||
| Domenica Martinello | "All Day I Dream About Sirens" | |||
| 2018 | Maria Reva | "The Ermine Coat" | Short fiction | <ref>"Maria Reva wins $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers". CBC Books, May 31, 2018.</ref> |
| Sarah Christina Brown | "Kingdom Come" | |||
| Khalida Hassan | "Adjacent Rooms" | |||
| 2019 | John Elizabeth Stintzi | "Selections from Junebat" | Poetry | <ref>Erin Balser, "John Elizabeth Stintzi wins $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers". CBC Books, May 29, 2019.</ref> |
| Rebecca Salazar | "Your Public Body" | |||
| Ellie Sawatzky | "Unorganized Territory" | |||
| 2020 | Leah Mol | "Six Things My Father Taught Me About Bears" | Short fiction | <ref name=2020winners>"4 emerging Canadian writers receive $10K prizes from Writers' Trust of Canada". CBC Books, October 21, 2020.</ref> |
| Jamaluddin Aram | "This Hard Easy Life" | <ref name=2020nominees>Ryan Porter, "Short fiction and poetry finalists announced for the 2020 Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers". Quill & Quire, August 24, 2020.</ref> | ||
| Omer Friedlander | "Palestinian Still Life" | |||
| Alexa Winik | "Selections from Winter Stars Visible in December" | Poetry | <ref name=2020winners/> | |
| nina jane drystek | "C;ode" | <ref name=2020nominees/> | ||
| Zoe Imani Sharpe | "Selection from [CA$H4GOLD]" | |||
| 2021 | Anna Ling Kaye | "East City" | Short fiction | <ref name=2021winners>Vicky Qiao, "Zehra Naqvi and Anna Ling Kaye win $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers". CBC Books, June 17, 2021.</ref> |
| Carolyn Chung | "Bright Fish, Dead Bird" | <ref name=2021nominees>Ryan Porter, "Six finalists announced for Brownwen Wallace Awards for Emerging Writers". Quill & Quire, May 19, 2021.</ref> | ||
| Joshua Wales | "Mass Effect" | |||
| Zehra Naqvi | "The Knot of My Tongue" | Poetry | <ref name=2021winners/> | |
| Jessica Bebenek | "Selections from No One Knows Us There" | <ref name=2021nominees/> | ||
| Hannah Green | "XANAX COWBOY" | |||
| 2022 | Teya Hollier | "Watching, Waiting" | Short Fiction | <ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Jen Batler | "Ectopia Cordis" | |||
| Emily Paskevics | "Wild Girls" | |||
| Patrick James Errington | "If Fire, Then Bird" | Poetry | <ref name=":0" /> | |
| Eimear Laffan | "My Life, Delimited" | |||
| Christine Wu | "Familial Hungers" | |||
| 2023 | Zak Jones | "So Much More to Say" | Short fiction | <ref name=2023winners>Cassandra Drudi, "Cooper Skjeie, Zak Jones named 2023 Bronwen Wallace Award winners". Quill & Quire, June 1, 2023.</ref> |
| Vincent Anioke | "Mama’s Lullabies" | <ref name=2023noms>Cassandra Drudi, "Writers’ Trust announces finalists for 2023 Bronwen Wallace Award". Quill & Quire, April 26, 2023.</ref> | ||
| Zilla Jones | "Triggered" | |||
| Cooper Skjeie | "Scattered Oblations" | Poetry | <ref name=2023winners/> | |
| Kyo Lee | "diasporic dissonance" | <ref name=2023noms/> | ||
| Dora Prieto | "Notes on the Non-Place" | |||
| 2024 | Nayani Jensen | "Like Rabbits" | Short fiction | <ref name=parejensen>Cassandra Drudi, "Faith Paré, Nayani Jensen win 2024 Bronwen Wallace Award". Quill & Quire, June 3, 2024.</ref> |
| Henry Heavyshield | "Our Rez Anomaly" | <ref name=2024noms>"6 emerging Canadian writers shortlisted for $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Awards". CBC Books, April 25, 2024.</ref> | ||
| Reid Kerr-Keller | "On Venlafaxine and Ghosts" | |||
| Faith Paré | "Selections from 'a fine African Head'" | Poetry | <ref name=parejensen/> | |
| Ashleigh A. Allen | "balcony buffalo" | <ref name=2024noms/> | ||
| Sneha Subramanian Kanta | "Hiraeth" | |||
| 2025 | Jess Goldman | "Tombstone of a Tsaddik" | Short Fiction | <ref name=2025winners>Cassandra Drudi, "Jess Goldman, Phillip Dwight Morgan, and Dora Prieto named 2025 Bronwen Wallace Award winners". Quill & Quire, June 2, 2025.</ref> |
| Alexis Lachaîne | "Three New France Suicides" | <ref name=2025finalists>Cassandra Drudi, "Nine finalists named for 2025 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers". Quill & Quire, April 23, 2025.</ref> | ||
| Hana Mason | "Training the Replacement" | |||
| Dora Prieto | "Loose Threads" | Poetry | <ref name=2025winners/> | |
| Cicely Grace | "Rather Her Clean" | <ref name=2025finalists/> | ||
| Nicole Mae | "Prairie Bog" | |||
| Phillip Dwight Morgan | "White Trucks and Mergansers" | Creative Nonfiction | <ref name=2025winners/> | |
| Huyền Trân | "Where Do Mothers Go" | <ref name=2025finalists/> | ||
| Graham Slaughter | "Breach" | |||