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# Commissioner of Yukon to present new literary prize

The BC and Yukon Book Prizes and the Office of the Commissioner of Yukon are happy to announce the first-ever literary prize for the Yukon writing and publishing community.

The Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution will be administered by the BC and Yukon Book Prizes and awarded annually by the Commissioner of Yukon. This award will be presented at the Dawson Daily News Print and Publishing Festival in Dawson City, Yukon which takes place each year in May or June.

The BC and Yukon Book Prizes originated in 1986 and currently administers 10 prizes for writing and publishing. Prizes include the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence, the Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes and many others in categories that include fiction, children’s literature, poetry and regional writing.

> I am thrilled to be working with the BC and Yukon Book Prizes to present The Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution. Our talented writers, publishers, editors and literary community builders deserve to be recognized for their contributions to this territory. I am looking forward to this new and exciting chapter in celebrating and recognizing Yukoners.

> We at the BC and Yukon Book Prizes are honoured to be working with the Commissioner of Yukon to bring this amazing prize to the writing and publishing community of Yukon. Our commitment to that community is stronger than ever and we look forward to continuing to celebrate and promote the excellent writing and publishing that’s consistently produced by the talented folks in that territory.

Quick facts

- The prize includes $500, a certificate and an original art piece.

- The prize will be adjudicated by a jury of three prominent members of the Yukon writing and publishing community. New juries will be approved each year by the Commissioner of Yukon prior to the opening of the submission timeline.

- Yukoners who have lived in the territory or BC for the past 12 months or for at least three of the past five years are eligible to apply for BC and Yukon Book Prizes.

- The Borealis Prize is a new prize for Yukoners only and the scope of the prize encompasses not only authors but volunteers who work within the writing community.

Backgrounder

How to apply

The public is encouraged to submit nominations for individuals whose work has contributed significantly to the writing and publishing communities of Yukon.

Nominations should include a short description of the individual’s contributions to Yukon writing and publishing communities as well as a minimum of three pieces of supporting documentation.

Supporting documentation can include:

- a bibliography;
- links to events that the person has contributed to or organized;
- reviews of their work;
- a biography; or
- other things that demonstrate their contributions.

The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2020.

The public can submit nominations through the BC and Yukon Book Prizes website.

Criteria and adjudication process

The individual must have:

- spent significant time living and working among the writing community in Yukon; and
- made substantial contributions to the Yukon writing and publishing community through writing, publishing, community organizing, Indigenous writing and storytelling, or in many other ways.

The judges will be determined by BC and Yukon Book Prizes in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner of Yukon based on service to the writing community over time and in alignment with a commitment to diversity among judges.

BC and Yukon Book Prizes will work to include at least two jury members from diverse communities, such as Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+, deaf, disabled and multicultural communities.

Media contact

Kerri Scholz
Private Secretary, Commissioner of Yukon
867-667-5121
kerri.scholz@gov.yk.ca

News release #:
20-008
Related information:
BC and Yukon Book Prizes