The Journey Prize (officially called The Writers' Trust of Canada McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize) is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by McClelland and Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada for the best short stories published by an emerging writer in a Canadian literary magazine. The award was endowed by James A. Michener, who donated the Canadian royalty earnings from his 1988 novel Journey."Author donates literary prize". Calgary Herald, December 18, 1988.
From the award's inception until 2023, a single story was named the winner and received , making it the largest monetary award given in Canada to an up-and-coming writer for a short story or excerpt from a fiction work-in-progress. Since 2023, the award no longer select a single prize winners, and instead all of the 10 writers whose stories are selected for inclusion in the anthology are considered equal winners of the award and receive $1,000 each in prize money.
The prize's winner in 2000, Timothy Taylor, was the first writer ever to have three stories nominated for the award in the same year."The patter of little stories". Vancouver Sun, December 2, 2000.
The Journey Prize also publishes an annual anthology of the year's longlisted short stories. Two writers, Andrew MacDonald and David Bergen, have both had a record four total stories selected for inclusion in the annual anthology.
In 2020, the Journey Prize committee announced that the upcoming award would be a special edition devoted exclusively to Black Canadian writers, considering stories published in multiple years."2021 Journey Prize will focus on emerging Black Canadian writers" . CBC Books, June 23, 2020. Although the initial report was that the special Black Canadian edition of the award would be presented in 2021 for stories published in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the organizers instead paused the award for 2021 and 2022, and presented a special Black Canadian award in early 2023 to honour works published since 2020.Dana Gee, "Prestigious short story anthology focuses on emerging Canadian Black writers". Vancouver Sun, February 14, 2023.
In 2024, the 25th anniversary of the awards was marked with a special retrospective anthology, edited by Alexander MacLeod and Souvankham Thammavongsa, compiling selected winning and nominated stories from throughout the history of the awards.
Winners and nominees 1980s Year Author Title Ref 1989 "Rapid Transits" "Short story wins $10,000 for B.C. writer". Vancouver Sun, June 15, 1989.
1990s YearAuthor Title Ref 1990 "My Father Took a Cake to France" "Vancouver writer wins $10,000 Canadian fiction prize". The Globe and Mail, May 25, 1990. 1991 "Authors collect prizes of close to $80,000". Toronto Star, October 28, 1991. "Theories of Grief" "Future winners". Kingston Whig-Standard, August 31, 1991. 1992 "No Rosa, No District Six" "Rebellious, defiant, resistant; Controversial feminist writer Rozena Maart wins $10,000 literary prize for short story". Ottawa Citizen, October 15, 1992. "How Beautiful Upon the Mountains" "McClelland and Stewart names shortlist for '92 Journey Prize". Montreal Gazette, September 12, 1992. "Bella's Story" 1993 "Sister Doyle's Men" "Burnaby author honored". Vancouver Sun, October 14, 1993. "With the Band" "Authors Shortlisted for Journey Prize". The Globe and Mail, September 22, 1993. 1994 "Long Man the River" "$50,000 writing prize goes to first Canadian". The Globe and Mail, October 13, 1994. "Water Margins" "Journey Prize short list missing four names". Ottawa Citizen, September 18, 1994. "Anomie" 1995 "Of Marranos and Gilded Angels" "Fetherling, Woodward honoured at festival". The Globe and Mail, October 12, 1995. "Song of Ascent" "2 Ottawa writers among finalists for Journey prize". Ottawa Citizen, September 23, 1995. "Hand Games" 1996 "Can You Wave Bye Bye, Baby?" "Elyse Gasco wins Journey Prize with grim tale about child abuse". Ottawa Citizen, October 27, 1996. "Bones" "Lessons from the Sputnik Diner" 1997 "Maladies of the Inner Ear" "Journey Prize ends in a tie". Edmonton Journal, October 24, 1997. "Dreaming Snow" "Speedboat" 1998 "Montreal writer picks up $10,000 prize for short story". Vancouver Sun, October 23, 1998. "Giller Prize nominees announced". Vancouver Sun, October 6, 1998. "Downwind" 1999 Andrew Tolson, "Literary award means time to do what she loves". National Post, October 21, 1999.
2000s YearAuthorTitleRef. 2000 "Doves of Townsend" 2001 "Writers' Trust awards $75,000 in prizes". St. Catharines Standard, March 6, 2002. "Anything That Wiggles" "Shields, Todd, Blaise nominated for literary awards". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, February 17, 2002. "Little Suitcase" 2002 "Miss Canada" "Literary award winners named". Nanaimo Daily News, March 7, 2003. "Listen" "Finalists named for Writers' Trust Awards". The Globe and Mail, February 12, 2003. "Green Fluorescent Protein" 2003 "My Husband’s Jump" Rebecca Caldwell, "Writers' Trust announces winners". The Globe and Mail, March 4, 2004. "Hansel and Gretel" "Authors nominated for Great Literary Awards". The Telegram, February 8, 2004. "Hush" 2004 Anne-Marie Tobin, "Munro, Engel, Newman honoured". The Telegram, March 10, 2005. "Packers and Movers" "Munro, Newman among Writers Trust nominees". Sherbrooke Record, February 4, 2005. 2005 "Matchbook for a Mother's Hair" "Canadian authors honoured in Toronto". Prince George Citizen, March 3, 2006. Pat Donnelly, "Writers' Trust helps Canadian literature thrive". Montreal Gazette, February 18, 2006. "Seven Ways to Chandigarh" 2006 "BriannaSusannaAlana" "N.L. writer's 'Inside' wins fiction prize". Telegraph-Journal, March 8, 2007. "Conjugation" "Rudy Wiebe tapped for Writer's Trust Awards: Memoir also up for rich Charles Taylor Prize". Edmonton Journal, February 7, 2007. "Cretacea" 2007 "Ozy" "Hill, Porter major winners". Victoria Times-Colonist, April 2, 2008. "Swimming in Zanzibar" James Adams, "Vassanji, Ashenburg up for Trust honours". The Globe and Mail, February 27, 2008. "Chilly Girl" 2008 "My Three Girls" Morley Walker, "Toews takes home rich prize for The Flying Troutmans". Winnipeg Free Press, November 18, 2008. "Steaming for Godthab" Victoria Ahearn, "Miriam Toews, Rawi Hage among finalists for Writers' Trust book prizes". Canadian Press, October 1, 2008. "Chaperone" 2009 "Floating Like the Dead" Tom Hawthorn, "A writer's all too real tale puts her in spotlight". The Globe and Mail, December 7, 2009. Victoria Ahearn, "Alice Munro, Douglas Coupland among contenders for Writers Trust Awards". Canadian Press, September 20, 2009.
2010s YearAuthorTitleRef. 2010 "Uncle Oscar" Mark Medley, "A Room with a prize". National Post, November 3, 2010. Richard Helm, "Siblings make short list for Canadian literary prize". Edmonton Journal, September 30, 2010. "Mating" 2011 "Petitions to Saint Chronic" "Hamilton's Miranda Hill wins Journey Prize". Hamilton Spectator, November 3, 2011. Mark Medley, "First & second time's the charm for authors; few veterans in writers' trust fiction nominees". National Post, September 29, 2011. "First-Calf Heifer" 2012 "Crisis on Earth-X" "Nanaimo writer wins Rogers fiction prize". Victoria Times-Colonist, November 8, 2012. "To Have to Wait" "Writers' finalists named". Toronto Star, September 20, 2012. "Manning" 2013 "Cinema Rex" Simon Houpt, "Colin McAdam wins Writers' Trust award". The Globe and Mail, November 21, 2013. "How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun?" Mark Medley, "Writers' Trust gives nod to Lisa Moore, Lynn Coady". National Post, October 1, 2013. "My Sister Sang" 2014 "Sealskin" "Miriam Toews wins $25,000 Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize" . Toronto Star, November 4, 2014. "Monsoon Season" "Juvenile" 2015 "The Wise Baby" "André Alexis wins Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize" . The Globe and Mail, November 3, 2015. "Last Animal Standing on Gentleman’s Farm" "Globe columnist among Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize nominees" . The Globe and Mail, September 29, 2015. "Red Egg and Ginger" 2016 "The Emigrants" "Eden Robinson, Gregory Scofield, Yasuko Thanh among 2016 Writers' Trust Prize winners" . CBC Books, November 2. 2016. "If I Ever See the Sun" "Fiset, Langlois, McConvey Journey Prize finalists". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, September 16, 2016. "How the Grizzly Came to Hang in the Royal Oak Hotel" 2017 "Butter Tea at Starbucks" "David Chariandy, Billie Livingston, and Diane Schoemperlen among the winners at the 2017 Writers’ Trust awards" . Quill & Quire, November 14, 2017. "She Is Water" 2018 "Mute" "Books inspired by the authors’ parents win the top Writers’ Trust Awards" . Toronto Star, November 7, 2018. "Love" "The Writers’ Trust of Canada announces Journey Prize finalists" . Quill & Quire, September 12, 2018. "Never Prosper" 2019 "Pooka" Deborah Dundas, "Andre Alexis, Jenny Heijun Wills are big winners at Writers’ Trust Awards" . Toronto Star, November 5, 2019. "Every True Artist" "Local writer up for $10,000 prize" . Kelowna Daily Courier, September 17, 2019.
2020s YearAuthorTitleRef. 2020"Bad Cree" "4 emerging Canadian writers receive $10K prizes from Writers' Trust of Canada" . CBC Books, October 21, 2020. "Hunting" Ryan Porter, "Short fiction finalists announced for the 2020 Journey Prize" . Quill & Quire, August 26, 2020. "Chemical Valley" 2021 No award presented 2022 No award presented 2023 "Emerging black writers win the Journey Prize". Caribbean Camera, February 1, 2023.
References
External links Journey Prize