Three Emerging Writers Win the 2025 Bronwen Wallace Awards

This evening at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, three Bronwen Wallace Awards were handed out to some exciting emerging authors, in the categories of short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. 

Capping off a lively and inspiring prize ceremony (hosted by former winner and acclaimed writer Alison Pick), which included readings from the authors, the winners were announced:

Dora Prieto was the winner in the poetry category. 

Jess Goldman was the short fiction winner. 

and Phillip Dwight Morgan was named as the winner for creative nonfiction.

The award celebrates emerging Canadian writers of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction who are unpublished in book form, and has a proven track record of helping its honourees secure agents and book deals. The creative nonfiction category was added this year to support future talent in the genre. The winner in each category received $10,000 and finalists received $2,500.

A jury composed of Dallas Hunt, Matt Rader, and Sanna Wani read 143 submissions to select finalists in the poetry category. 

Jean Marc Ah-Sen, Baharan Baniahmadi, and Shashi Bhat read 172 submissions to select finalists in the short fiction category. 

And, a jury composed of Omar Mouallem, Alessandra Naccarato, and Lindsay Wong read 108 submissions to select the finalists in the creative nonfiction category.  

The award, sponsored by RBC, aims to support the careers and development of emerging Canadian creatives through skills development, mentorship programs, education, and access and exposure to new audiences. 

Congratulations to all of the 2025 finalists, as follows:   

Poetry: Cicely Grace, Nicole Mae, and Dora Prieto  
Short Fiction: Jess Goldman, Alexis Lachaîne, and Hana Mason 
Creative Nonfiction: Huyền Trân, Phillip Dwight Morgan, and Graham Slaughter 

Find the 2025 nominated books and past years’ featured works, available for free on Apple Books at apple.co/bronwenwallace  

Continuing a successful partnership with Apple Books to promote the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award finalists, the shortlisted authors will be invited to record audiobooks of their works in a professional studio with Penguin Random House Canada sound engineers. After winners are announced in June, the audiobooks will be available for free on Apple Books at apple.co/bronwenwallace 

Read more about this year’s finalists and download their works in PDF at writerstrust.com/BronwenWallace

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About the Award 
Bronwen Wallace (1945–1989) was a poet, short story writer, essayist, and mentor to many aspiring authors as a creative writing instructor at Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College in Kingston, ON. This prize was established in her honour in 1994 by a group of friends and colleagues. Wallace felt that writers should have more opportunities for recognition early in their careers. This annual award is presented to three writers — one each in the categories of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction — who have been published in literary journals or anthologies but have yet to publish in book form. Past winners include Michael Crummey, Alissa York, Sonnet L’Abbé, Alison Pick, Noor Naga, Maria Reva, and John Elizabeth Stintzi.  

About Writers’ Trust 
Writers’ Trust of Canada is a charitable organization that seeks to advance, nurture, and celebrate Canadian writers and writing through a portfolio of programs including 11 national literary awards, financial grants, career development initiatives for emerging writers, and a writers’ residency. Writers’ Trust programming is designed to champion excellence in Canadian writing, to improve the status of writxers, and to create connections between writers and readers. Canada’s writers receive more financial support from Writers’ Trust than from any other non-governmental organization in the country. Additional information is available at writerstrust.com.