Pat Lowther Memorial Award:
The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is given for a book of poetry by a Canadian woman published in the preceding year, and is in memory of the late Pat Lowther, whose career was cut short by her untimely death in 1975. The award carries a $1,000 prize. It is presented each year at the League’s Annual General Meeting in May or June, with the shortlist announced in April.
Previous Winners of the Pat Lowther Memorial Award
1981 M. Travis Lane, Divinations and Short Poems 1973-1978
1982 Rona Murray, Journey
1983 Rhea Tregebov, Remembering History
1984 Bronwen Wallace, Signs of the Former Tenant
1985 Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation
1986 Erin Mourþ, Domestic Fuel
1987 Heather Spears, How to Read Faces
1988 Gwendolyn MacEwen, Afterworlds
1989 Heather Spears, The Word for Sand
1990 Patricia Young, The Mad and Beautiful Mothers
1991 Karen Connelly, The Small Words in My Body
1992 Kate Braid, Covering Rough Ground
1993 Lorna Crozier, Inventing the Hawk
1994 Diana Brebner, The Golden Lotus
1995 Beth Goobie, Scars of Light
1996 Lorna Crozier, Everything Arrives at the Light
1997 Marilyn Bowering, Autobiography
1998 Barbara Nickel, The Gladys Elegies
1999 Hilary Clark, More Light
2000 Esta Spalding, Lost August
2001 Sharon Thesen, A Pair of Scissors
2002 Heather Spears, Required Reading: A Witness in Words and Drawings to the Reena Virk Trials 1998-2000
2003 Dionne Brand, thirsty
2004 Betsy Struthers, Still
2005 Roo Borson, Short Journey Upriver toward Oishida
2006 Sylvia Legis, Nerve Squall
2007 Sina Queyras, Lemon Hound
2008 Anne Simpson, Quick
2009 Alice Major, The Office Tower Tales
2010 Karen Solie, Pigeon
2011 Evelyn Lau, Living Under Plastic
The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is given for a book of poetry by a Canadian woman published in the preceding year, and is in memory of the late Pat Lowther, whose career was cut short by her untimely death in 1975. The award carries a $1,000 prize.
Author must be female and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident/landed immigrant.
The title must conform to the UNESCO definition of a book, that is at least 48 pages in length, excluding front and back material. (Chapbooks are not eligible.)
The title must be accompanied by a completed submission form.
The book must have been published in 2011.
If the book is “selected” or “collected” work, it must contain at least 50 per cent new material, measured in pages of text. This percentage must be identified by the nominator upon submission of the book.
A book may be submitted in any language, but submissions in a language other than English must be accompanied by a translation.
Four copies of the book must be submitted by the publisher, author, or other nominator. We regret that books cannot be returned.
A brief biography and bibliography of the author should be included.
All submissions must be post-marked no later than November 1, 2011 and should be sent to The League of Canadian Poets, 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 312, Toronto ON M5T 2C2, Attention: Pat Lowther Memorial Award.
Please note: Books which are in the process of being published and which will be released in November and December of 2011 (after the Nov. 1 deadline) can be submitted late up to December 15th, however; please contact the LCP’s office as soon as possible to inform us of your situation. After December 15th at 5:00pm, no further entries will be accepted.
The judges retain the right not to award the prize if, in their opinion, no entry is of sufficient merit.
- There is a $25 handling fee per title for both the Pat Lowther and Gerald Lampert Memorial Awards . If you would like to submit any titles for consideration for both awards, the handling fee per title will be $50 to cover the $25 handling fee for each award.
- Please make all cheques payable to the League of Canadian Poets. The League does not accept handling fees in cash.