The League is honoured to recognize the contribution of member volunteers through the Colleen Thibaudeau Outstanding Contribution Award. Established in 2012, the award is offered annually to a League member in recognition of a substantial volunteer project or series of projects that nurture and support poets and poetry across Canada. This award was established in memory of Colleen Thibaudeau (1925 – 2012), an Honorary Member and lifelong supporter of the League of Canadian poets, to show her support for the League, which was a source of friendship and recognition for her in her lifetime.
Colleen Thibaudeau Award 2023
Celebrating the outstanding contribution of Flavia Cosma and Cornelia Hoogland have given to poetry in Canada.
The League of Canadian Poets is delighted to celebrate the hard work and dedication that Cornelia Hoogland and Flavia Cosma contribute to poetry. Their gift of time, care, and community has created a lasting impact on poetry in Canada. Volunteers are uniquely important players in the Canadian literary and arts scene– so many of the precious moments we spend enjoying and appreciating poetry are fueled by the efforts of dedicated volunteers. We hope that you will take time to celebrate the special volunteers in your life this National Volunteer Week 2023, and please join us in celebrating the invaluybale contribution of Cornelia Hoogland and Flavia Cosma!
Nominations are closed
Nominations accepted January 20 – February 10 annually. The Winner will be announced during National Volunteer Week in April.
Nomination Guidelines
- E-mail a nomination letter (500 – 1,000 words) to nicole@poets.ca by 11:59pm EST on February 10, 2023 to nominate a poet for this award.
- Please obtain permission from the person you’re nominating prior to sending your nomination.
- Please also include an email by which we can contact your nominee, should they be selected as the winner.
- Nomination letters should demonstrate the nominee’s ongoing commitment to supporting poets and poetry in Canada through volunteer contributions, such as operating a reading series, publishing chapbooks, or providing free editing or mentorship, etc.
- Nominees must be current members of the League of Canadian Poets.
- Nominations will be reviewed by the LCP Board of Directors.
Previous Recipients of the Colleen Thibaudeau Outstanding Contribution Award
This Award was on hiatus from 2018-2021.
2017: The Art Bar Poetry Series, Canada’s longest running weekly poetry-only reading series.
2016: Bruce Rice, for his invaluable efforts in establishing the now-annual Poetry City program and his longtime volunteer record with the League.
2015: Glen Sorestad, for his contribution to our annual Anne Szumigalski Lecture program and anthology, Measures of Astonishment, as well as his longtime volunteer record with the League.
2014: Allan Briesmaster, for his work in developing and executing the Poetry in Transit initiative, and his longtime volunteer record with the League.
2013: D.C. Reid, for his work in establishing the League Planned Giving and Bequests initiative, as well as his devotion to the League during his time as President.
2012: Wendy Morton, for her work in establishing Random Acts of Poetry, WestJet’s Poet of the Skies, and Chrysler’s Poet of the Road.
