The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a North American

literary award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony. ...

, created in 2020 to honour literature by women.Scottie Andrew
"A new literary prize will award more than $100,000 to a North American writer. The only criteria? No men"
. CNN, February 9, 2020. The annual prize will award $150,000 to the winning work and $12,500 to each of the shortlisted finalists, making it one of the world's richest literary awards.Jane van Koeverden
"New Carol Shields Prize for Fiction will award $150K to a woman or non-binary writer"
.

CBC Books CBC Arts (french: Radio-Canada Arts) is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's div ...

, February 7, 2020. The prize will be open to both Canadian and American women and

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...

writers in English. French-language literature by Canadians, and Spanish-language literature by Americans, will be eligible when published in an English translation. Submissions will be judged by a jury that includes one Canadian, one American and one international judge. 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.Marsha Lederman
"New Carol Shields prize for fiction will award $150,000 to female author"
. '' The Globe and Mail'', February 8, 2020. The winner will also receive a residency at the Fogo Island writers' retreat, while the runners-up will receive residencies at Canadian or American universities.Deborah Dundas
"New $150,000 Carol Shields fiction prize ‘to shine a light on women writers’"
. ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'', February 7, 2020. In addition, the winner will also select an emerging female or non-binary writer, who will receive a year-long mentorship. The prize was created by Canadian novelist

Susan Swan Susan Swan (born 9 June 1945) is a Canadian author, journalist, and professor. Susan Swan writes classic Canadian novels. Her fiction has been published in 20 countries and translated into 10 languages. Born in Midland, Ontario, she studied at ...

and editor Janice Zawerbny, with an organizing committee that includes noted women literary figures such as

Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro (; ; born 10 July 1931) is a Canadian short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Munro's work has been described as revolutionizing the architecture of short stories, especially in its tendency to move fo ...

Dionne Brand Dionne Brand (born 7 January 1953) is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was Toronto's third Poet Laureate from September 2009 to November 2012. She was admitted to the Order of Canada in 2017Jane Urquhart Jane Urquhart, LL.D (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her e ...

, Charlotte Gray,

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, ...

, Marie-Claire Blais, Natasha Trethewey,

Jane Smiley Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel '' A Thousand Acres'' (1991). Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a s ...

, Francine Prose and Erica Jong. Alexandra Skoczylas is the current executive director. The award will be presented for the first time in 2023, with the longlist announced on March 8, the shortlist on April 6 and the winner on May 4."Jury announced for inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction"
. ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', January 26, 2023.

Nominees and winners

References

{{reflist Canadian fiction awards American fiction awards Literary awards honoring women Awards established in 2020