Island Literary Awards & Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty Creative Writing Awards for Young People Shortlist Announcements

Charlottetown, PE – May 2, 2021 - The PEI Writers’ Guild is pleased to announce the shortlist for both the Island Literary Awards, as well as the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty Creative Writing Awards for Young People. Island writers will be recognized during award galas, which will take place at the Trailside Music Hall on Sunday, May 30. 

The Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty Creative Writing Awards for Young People will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (doors open at 9:30 a.m.) while the Island Literary Awards will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m.).

During the Island Literary Awards, adults will be recognized for excellence in Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction, Literature for Children, Short Story, and Indigenous Writing. In addition, two brand new categories will be awarded (Prince Edward Island Association for Newcomers to Canada Award and The Scott Parsons Literary Award), as well as the Champion of Reading community award, the Distinguished Contribution to the Literary Arts of PEI award, and the Joseph Sherman award. 

Short-listed writers for adult categories are as follows: 

The Heirs of L.M. Montgomery Literature for Children Awards: Amanda Morrison, Joseph Simmonds, and Kara Griffin

Richard Lemm and Lee Ellen Pottie Poetry Awards: Alyssa Gillespie, Charity Becker, Emily N Cann, Rose Henbest, and Weiqi Tang

Maritime Electric Short Story Awards: Jordan Ramsay, Mary Hayden, Ryan Gallant, and Sharon Lucy Robson

Honibe Creative Non-Fiction Awards: Anne McCallum, Erin Evans, and Jenna Gaudet

Acorn Press Marie Coyoteblanc Indigenous Writing Award: Michael Sima and Novalea MacKinnon

Prince Edward Island Association for Newcomers to Canada Award: Peng Shen and Wei Chen

Black Cultural Society of PEI Scott Parsons Literary Award - Deborah Langston

Réshard Gool Award for Creative Writing – Carter Smith

Joseph Sherman Award – Frances Ann Squire

Distinguished Contribution to the Literary Arts of PEI – Mo Duffy Cobb

Youth in early elementary, late elementary, junior high, and senior high will be honoured for their excellence in literary arts during the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty Creative Writing Awards for Young People.

Short-listed writers for the youth categories are as follows:
 

Early Elementary – Ben Bowman, Danielle Manley, Irvin Rubirya, Marwa Basit, and Zoe Hernandez Balderas

Late Elementary: Isabella Hill, Mary Nishimura, Regina Zhang, Sam Bowman, and Tyson Wilson

Junior High: Adia Laureijs, Charlotte Macnutt-Lawson, Jordan Dingwell, Sadie MacNeill, and Sheamus Herlihy 

Senior High: Arielle Dunn, Grace Lee, and Seth Dockendorff

For over 30 years, the Island Literary Awards have recognized talented Island writers of all ages. Cash prizes are awarded to individuals who place first, second, and third in both the adult and young people’s awards categories.  Many past award winners are now published authors.

Please follow the Island Literary Awards on Facebook (@IslandLiteraryAwards), on Twitter (@IslandLiterary) or visit peiwritersguild.com for more information.

About the PEI Writers’ Guild

The PEI Writer's Guild exists to create a thriving, inclusive writing community, right here on PEI. Its mission is to promote writing on Prince Edward Island and to inspire, support, and encourage established, emerging, and potential writers to find their voice, improve their craft, and experience success in their writing.