Emerging Writers Prizes
The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) administers three prizes for emerging and early-career writers, each of which recognizes barriers to literary creation and supports writers as they advance book-length works-in-progress—completing, revising, and/or submitting them for publication—and as they undertake creative writing mentorships and professional training to advance their literary careers.
Writers eligible for more than one prize are required to submit only one submission package for consideration by the Emerging Writers Prizes peer assessment jury.
The Charles R. Saunders Prize encourages literary creation in speculative fiction and in nonfiction by emerging and early-career writers from equity-deserving communities—in short, writing by someone like Charles R. Saunders at the beginning of his career.
The Elizabeth Venart Prize recognizes the unique barriers to literary creation faced by women and other marginalized genders—in particular, the lack of time and space imposed by systems of gendered labour and childrearing.
The Senator Don Oliver Black Voices Prize recognizes the barriers to literary creation and recognition faced by Black and African Nova Scotian writers—who have faced and still face systemic inequality, including within Canadian publishing.
Investors
The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia thanks the following for their generous contributions to the the endowments for the three Emerging Writers Prizes: Sarah Venart and the Venart family (Elizabeth Venart Prize); the former colleagues, literary friends, and readers of Charles R. Saunders (Charles R. Saunders Prize); and the Nova Scotia Department of Justice and BMO Financial Group (Senator Don Oliver Black Voices Prize).
