Book Awards

Book Awards administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) celebrate and promote excellence in writing from Nova Scotia and from Atlantic Canada. The number of titles submitted each year is a testament to the diversity and quality of writing from our region.

Although jurors have the unenviable task of selecting one winner for each award, each year’s shortlists introduce local, national, and international readers to a tremendous body of work and the vibrant culture of the region. WFNS administers and acts as steward for two Nova Scotia Book Awards and three Atlantic Book Awards.

Additional Nova Scotia Book Awards categories are administered by the Dartmouth Books Awards. All categories are also listed on the Nova Scotia Book Awards website.

Additional Atlantic Book Awards categories are are administered by the Atlantic Book Awards Society, the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association, the Atlantic Publishers Representatives, and others. These non-WFNS categories are listed on the Atlantic Books Awards Society website.

Partners

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia thanks the Dartmouth Book Awards, the Society for the Nova Scotia Book Awards, and the Atlantic Book Awards Society for their partnership in delivering these awards.

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Recommended Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) recommends that each workshop’s participants share a level or range of writing / publication experience. This is to ensure that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with information, strategies, and skills that suit their current writing priorities.

To this end, the “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the following definitions developed by WFNS:

  • New writers: those with no professional publications (yet!) or a few short professional publications (i.e., poems, stories, or essays in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with numerous professional publications and/or one book-length publication.
  • Established writers/authors: those with two book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short publications.
  • Professional authors: those with more than two book-length publications.

For “intensive” and “masterclass” creative writing workshops, which provide more opportunities for participant-to-participant feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If you’re uncertain of your experience level with regard to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca