Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a North American literary award, created in 2020 to honour literature by women.[1] The annual prize will award US$150,000 to the winning work and US$12,500 to each of the shortlisted finalists, making it one of the world's richest literary awards.[2]
The prize is awarded to a Canadian or American woman or non-binary writer for a work published in English.[2] French-language literature by Canadians, and Spanish-language literature by Americans, will be eligible when published in an English translation.[2] Submissions are judged by a jury that includes at least one Canadian, one American and one international judge.[2] 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.[3] The winner will also receive a residency at the Fogo Island writers' retreat.[4] In addition, the winner will also select an emerging female or non-binary writer, who will receive a year-long mentorship.[4]
The prize was created by Canadian novelist Susan Swan and editor Janice Zawerbny, with an organizing committee that includes noted women literary figures such as Alice Munro, Dionne Brand, Jane Urquhart, Charlotte Gray, Margaret Atwood, Marie-Claire Blais, Natasha Trethewey, Jane Smiley, Francine Prose and Erica Jong.[3] Alexandra Skoczylas is the current executive director.
The award was 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.[5]
Nominees and winners[edit]
| Year | Jury | Author | Book | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Fatimah Asghar | When We Were Sisters | Winner | [6][7] | |
| Daphne Palasi Andreades | Brown Girls | Shortlist | [8] | ||
| Talia Lakshmi Kolluri | What We Fed to the Manticore | ||||
| Suzette Mayr | The Sleeping Car Porter | ||||
| Alexis Schaitkin | Elsewhere | ||||
| Andrea Barrett | Natural History | Longlist | [9] | ||
| Lisa Hsiao Chen | Activities of Daily Living | ||||
| Francine Cunningham | God Isn't Here Today | ||||
| Kali Fajardo-Anstine | Woman of Light | ||||
| Liana Finck | Let There Be Light | ||||
| Emma Hooper | We Should Not Be Afraid of the Sky | ||||
| Gish Jen | Thank You, Mr. Nixon | ||||
| Chelene Knight | Junie | ||||
| Tsering Yangzom Lama | We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies | ||||
| Namwali Serpell | The Furrows | ||||
| 2024 | Eleanor Catton | Birnam Wood | Shortlist | [10] | |
| Claudia Dey | Daughter: A Novel | ||||
| Kim Coleman Foote | Coleman Hill | ||||
| V. V. Ganeshananthan | Brotherless Night | ||||
| Janika Oza | A History of Burning | ||||
| Lisa Alward | Cocktail: Stories | Longlist | [11] | ||
| Nicole Cuffy | Dances: A Novel | ||||
| Aisha Abdel Gawad | Between Two Moons | ||||
| Tania James | Loot: A Novel | ||||
| Juliana Lamy | You Were Watching from the Sand: Short Stories | ||||
| Catherine Leroux | The Future | ||||
| Rebecca Makkal | I Have Some Questions for You: A Novel | ||||
| Mona Susan Power | A Council of Dolls: A Novel | ||||
| Anuja Varghese | Chrysalis: Stories | ||||
| C Pam Zhang | Land of Milk and Honey: A Novel |
References[edit]
- ^ Scottie Andrew, "A new literary prize will award more than $100,000 to a North American writer. The only criteria? No men" Archived 2020-02-09 at the Wayback Machine. CNN, February 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Jane van Koeverden, "New Carol Shields Prize for Fiction will award $150K to a woman or non-binary writer" Archived 2020-02-09 at the Wayback Machine. CBC Books, February 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Marsha Lederman, "New Carol Shields prize for fiction will award $150,000 to female author" Archived 2023-03-13 at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, February 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Deborah Dundas, "New $150,000 Carol Shields fiction prize 'to shine a light on women writers'" Archived 2020-02-08 at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, February 7, 2020.
- ^ "Jury announced for inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction" Archived 2023-02-01 at the Wayback Machine. Quill & Quire, January 26, 2023.
- ^ "American author Fatimah Asghar wins inaugural Carol Shields Prize" Archived 2024-04-18 at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, May 4, 2023.
- ^ Schaub, Michael (2023-05-06). "Winner of the Carol Shields Prize Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- ^ Catherine Zhu, "Giller Prize winner Suzette Mayr shortlisted for $206K Carol Shields Prize for Fiction 2023" Archived 2024-04-18 at the Wayback Machine. CBC Books, April 14, 2023.
- ^ Dundas, Deborah (March 8, 2023). "5 Canadians nominated for first Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for women and non-binary writers, worth $150,000 (U.S.)". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
- ^ Carol Shields Prize for Fiction 2024 Shortlist
- ^ Carol Shields Prize for Fiction 2024 Longlist