Gerald Lampert Memorial Award

for a debut book of poetry.

 

The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is given in the memory of Gerald Lampert, an arts administrator who organized authors’ tours and took a particular interest in the work of new writers. The award recognizes a first book of poetry published by a Canadian. The award carries a $2,000 prize.

2021 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award Winner: Bertrand Bickersteth – The Response of Weeds (NeWest Press)

 

2021 GERALD LAMPERT MEMORIAL AWARD SHORTLIST

Bertrand Bickersteth – The Response of Weeds (NeWest Press, 2020)

Jillian Christmas – the gospel of breaking (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020)

Valerie Mason-John – I Am Still Your Negro (University of Alberta Press, 2020)

Bahar Orang – Where Things Touch (Book*hug Press, 2020)

Tyler Pennock – Bones (Brick Books, 2020)

Natasha Ramoutar – Bittersweet (Mawenzi House, 2020)

 

2021 GERALD LAMPERT MEMORIAL AWARD LONGLIST

Bertrand Bickersteth – The Response of Weeds (NeWest Press, 2020)

Cicely Belle Blain – Burning Sugar (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020)

Jillian Christmas – the gospel of breaking (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020)

Joel Robert Ferguson – The Lost Cafeteria (Signature Editions, 2020)

Kama La Mackerel – ZOM-FAM (Metonymy Press, 2020)

Valerie Mason-John – I Am Still Your Negro (University of Alberta Press, 2020)

Noor Naga – Washes, Prays (McClelland & Stewart, 2020)

Bahar Orang – Where Things Touch (Book*hug Press, 2020)

Tyler Pennock – Bones (Brick Books, 2020)

Natasha Ramoutar – Bittersweet (Mawenzi House, 2020)

Tamar Rubin – Tablet Fragments (Signature Editions, 2020)

Yusuf Saadi – Pluviophile (Nightwood Editions, 2020)

 

Thanks to the jurors for the 2021 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award: DA Lockhart, Nisha Patel and Phoebe Wang

See the full Shortlists announcement

See the full Longlists announcement

Submissions for book awards are CLOSED. Submissions for books published in 2021 will open in September 2021.

Submission Guidelines:

Additional eligibility guidelines (for all awards): 

  • Authors must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents 
  • Submitted titles must have one author. Translators are not eligible as authors 
  • Titles must be at least 48 pages in length, excluding front and back material 
  • If a title is “selected” or “collected” work, it must contain at least 50% new material, measured in pages of text. This percentage must be identified with the submission. 
  • Chapbooks and self-published books are not eligible. 
  • Submissions are welcome in any language, but submissions in a language other than English must be accompanied by a translation (the original language text must have been published in 2020) 
  • Titles may be submitted by a publisher, author, or other nominator 
  • There is a $25.00 submission fee per title, per award that may be paid by credit card or cheque upon confirmation of receipt of the submission. 
  • Submissions must be received by Friday November 13, 2020. If a book is set to be published between November 13 and December 31, 2020, contact admin@poets.ca by November 13, 2020 to arrange an extension. 

 

 

PREVIOUS WINNERS:

2020 Book Awards:

2020 Winner: Float and Scurry by Heather Birrell

2019: Tess Liem, Obits

2018 Emily Nilsen, Otolith
2017 Ingrid Ruthig, This Being
2016 Ben Ladouceur, Otter
2015 Kayla Czaga, For Your Safety Please Hold On
2014 Murray Reiss, The Survival Rate of Butterflies in the Wild
2013 Gillian Savigny, Notebook M
2012 Yi-Mei Tsiang, Sweet Devilry
2011 Anna Swanson, The Nights Also
2010 James Langer, Gun Dogs
2009 Katia Grubisic, What if red ran out
2008 Alex Boyd, Making Bones Walk
2007 Steven Price, Anatomy of Keys
2006 Suzanne Buffam, Past Imperfect
2005 Ray Hsu, Anthropy
2004 Adam Getty, RECONCILIaTION
2003 Kathy Mac, Nail Builders Plan for Strength and Growth
2002 Aislinn Hunter, Into the Early Hours
2001 Anne Simpson, Light Falls Through You
2000 Shawna Lemay, All the God-Sized Fruit
1999 Stephanie Bolster, White Stone: The Alice Poems
1998 Mark Sinnett, The Landing
1997 Marilyn Dumont, A Really Good Brown Girl
1996 Maureen Hynes, Rough Skin 
1995 Keith Maillard, Dementia Americana 
1994 Barbara Klar, The Night You Called Me a Shadow and Illya Tourtidis, Mad Magellanês Tale 
1993 Elisabeth Harvor, Fortress of Chairs and Roberta Rees, Eyes Like Pigeons 
1992 Joanne Arnott, Wiles of Girlhood 
1991 Diana Brebner, Radiant Life Forms 
1990 Steven Heighton, Stalinês Carnival 
1989 Sarah Klassen, Journey to Yalta 
1988 Di Brandt, Questions I Asked My Mother 
1987 Rosemary Sullivan, The Space a Name Makes 
1986 Joan Fern Shaw, Raspberry Vinegar 
1985 Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation 
1984 Sandra Birdsell, Night Travellers and Jean McKay, Gone to Grass 
1983 Diana Hartog, Manitee Light 
1982 Abraham Boyarsky, Schielber and Edna Alford, A Sleep Full of Dreams 
1981 Elizabeth Allan, The Shored Up House