The Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ Emerging Writers is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the
Writers' Trust of Canada
The Writers' Trust of Canada (french: La Société d'encouragement aux écrivains du Canada) is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers.
Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laure ...
to an emerging Canadian writer who is part of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer community. Originally presented as a general career achievement award for emerging writers that considered their overall body of work, since 2022 it has been presented to honor debut books.
It is one of two literary awards in Canada serving the LGBTQ community, alongside the
Blue Metropolis Violet Prize for established writers.
[Peter Knegt]
"Canadian LGBTQ literature is having a moment, and this Montreal festival is showcasing that"
CBC Arts
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 ...
, April 18, 2018.
The award was originally established by artist Robin Pacific as the Dayne Ogilvie Grant in memory of Dayne Ogilvie, a book
editor, writer, arts manager and former managing editor of ''
Xtra!
''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former ...
''
["Vancouver's Smith wins new prize for gay writers"]
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...
, June 14, 2007. who died in October 2006.
The award was renamed from a grant to a prize in 2012.
Established in 2007, the prize was not originally presented for a specific work,
although writers must have published at least one book of fiction or poetry to be eligible.
The winner was selected by an independent jury of three members, and presented annually; the presentation was normally in June, although the 2020 announcement was postponed to October due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...
.
[Ryan Porter]
"Finalists announced for the 2020 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ Emerging Writers"
''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 ...
'', August 25, 2020. In its early years the award was presented in conjunction with
Pride Toronto,
although in later years it expanded to different venues and cities.
["Joelle Barron, Lindsay Nixon, Casey Plett named finalists for $5K LGBTQ emerging writers prize"]
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 ...
, May 7, 2019.
Beginning in the prize's second year, the award introduced a preliminary shortlist of two or three writers. The writer or writers not selected as the final winner of the prize are presented with an Honour of Distinction, worth if one writer is named or each if two writers are named. Authors who are awarded the Honour of Distinction remain eligible for the primary award in future years,
[Dayne Ogilvie Grant]
at The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available f ...
. although to date no writer who has been awarded an Honour of Distinction has subsequently been named the primary winner. In 2019,
Casey Plett became the first Honour of Distinction recipient in the award's history to be renominated.
[
The Writers' Trust has announced that beginning with the 2022 award, the prize will transition from a general "career achievement" award into a prize to honour specific debut books.][Cassandra Drudi]
"Writers’ Trust announces finalists for 2022 Dayne Ogilvie Prize"
''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 ...
'', August 24, 2022. The award's scheduling has also been moved so that it no longer takes place in June as part of Pride Month, but in November at the same gala presentation as the other Writers' Trust awards."Bilal Baig, francesca ekwuyasi, Matthew James Weigel finalists for $10K prize for emerging LGBTQ writers"
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 ...
, August 24, 2022.
Winners and nominees
References
External links
Dayne Ogilvie Prize
{{LGBT fiction
2007 establishments in Canada
Awards established in 2007
Canadian literary awards
LGBT literary awards
LGBT literature in Canada
Writers' Trust of Canada awards