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# Commissioner of Yukon awards new literary prize

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Patti Flather and Leonard Linklater have been presented with the Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution. The Borealis Prize is a new prize for Yukon authors and volunteers who work in the writing community. Patti and Leonard were awarded this prize for their work in founding Gwaandak Theatre and for their contributions to the literary community.

The Gwaandak Theatre was founded in Whitehorse in 1999. It is Yukon’s only Indigenous-centred theatre company. The recipients have helped fulfil the theatre's vision to share Indigenous and Northern stories on local, national and international stages. Some represented themes include decolonization, cultural identity, social justice, underrepresented voices and human rights. Today, the theatre continues to share these important stories in Yukon and around the world.

Patti Flather served as Artistic Director from 1999, when Gwaandak was founded, until December 2019. Leonard Linklater was a board member for most of the theatre’s history. They are a fundamental part of the writing and creative community in Yukon, as playwrights and through their work to support new voices in the territory.

> I am honoured to be awarding the first ever Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution to Patti Flather and Leonard Linklater for their work in founding Gwaandak Theatre and all their consequent contributions to the Yukon literary community. Both authors have brought to light issues around Indigenous experience, mixed cultures, and social justice. Congratulations.

Quick facts

- Patti Flather and Leonard Linklater were presented with the Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution on Saturday, September 19, 2020.

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

- 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 or be considered for all BC and Yukon Book Prizes.

- The Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution is administered by the BC and Yukon Book Prizes and awarded annually by the Commissioner of Yukon Angélique Bernard.

Media contact

Alexis Miller
Communications, Executive Council Office
867-456-6507
alexis.miller@gov.yk.ca

News release #:
20-262
Related information:
BC and Yukon Book Prizes