Glengarry Book Award Established as the Largest Literary Prize in Saskatchewan
SSCF and the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts (SFFA) have established a partnership in perpetuity to support the annual Glengarry Book Award prize.
Donna Ziegler, SSCF’s Executive Director, explains, “Arts are important to all ages of people in society and can inspire, educate, entertain and enrich our experiences in life. SSCF is honoured to hold an endowed fund in trust for the Glengarry Book Award. We are pleased to partner with SFFA to ensure the future of literacy arts is alive and well for many years to come.”
Gursh Barnard, SFFA’s Chair, shows a deep appreciation toward the Glengarry Book Award. Barnard says, “SFFA manages the administration and adjudication of this annual Award. It is a great honour for our organization to support the arts and artists of Saskatchewan. This is a valuable partnership in securing national attention to literary artists with Saskatchewan roots.”
The Award is a $20,000 prize to recognize literary excellence for a first edition of an English novel or book of short fiction. It contributes to a rich literary culture in Saskatchewan.
In 2021, the Glengarry Book Award jury panel was chaired by Valerie Creighton and comprised of three notable national literary enthusiasts. The 2021 Glengarry Book Award Jury Short-list for Recognition of Literary Excellence includes: ‘The Diamond House’ by Dianne Warren, ‘Small Reckonings’ by Karin Melberg-Schweir, ‘If Sylvie Had Nine Lives’ by Leona Theis, and ‘Vermin’ by Lori Hahnel.
The inaugural 2021 Glengarry Book Award recipient is Dianne Warren. Warren is a nationally-recognized Canadian author with her roots in Saskatchewan. She has made a significant contribution to Canadian literature since her career began in the early 1980’s.
It’s such a great honour to be the first recipient of this prize... When you are in the process of writing a novel, you are so immersed in the world of the story that it feels alive, and there is a kind of loss when the book is finished. A prize such as the Glengarry can draw attention to a book so that it can live again in the minds and imaginations of readers. It is very difficult for all the good Canadian books to garner the attention they deserve, and I am grateful for every new reader that the Glengarry Prize might attract to The Diamond House.