2026 Summer LCP Spoken Word Award Winner

September 29, 2026

Congratulations to the 2026 Summer LCP Spoken Word Award Winner, Lisa Shen!

The League of Canadian Poets is proud to present the winner of the 2026 Summer LCP Spoken Word Award: Lisa Shen, " The Poet's Poem Suite".

Lisa Shen, "The Poet's Poem Suite"

Lisa Shen headshot - Magenta photos
"Spoken word has been the central force behind my life for the past several years. It has brought me to beautiful places, given me quintessential coming-of-age experiences, and introduced me to wonderful friends who I am so lucky to have in my life. I'm so grateful to be selected as a recipient of this award. Thank you to the League and everyone in the poetry community; your impact is everlasting."
Lisa Shen is a writer and spoken word artist. She served as the 4th Youth Poet Laureate of the City of Mississauga. Her work has appeared on Button Poetry, CBC Radio, and Poems in Passage. Her first chapbook A Story Ending in Redwoods was published by Anstruther Press.

Honorable mentions

  • "Fruit Fly" by Lindsay Mayhew
  • "5 Questions to Ask My Immigrant Mother" by Naziha Ullah
  • "My Father Says He Would Use ChatGPT For My Mother's Eulogy" by Andrea Josic
  • "Mary, Did you Know? A letter to my abuser's mother" by Jules Stevenson
  • "Four Poems from The Self is an Ocean" by Cypher
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About the juror

Dwayne Morgan

Mystery by Dwayne Morgan

Dwayne Morgan began his career in the spoken word in 1993. Affectionally called the Godfather of Canadian spoken word by his peers, Morgan is the author of 16 published and 11 audio collections of his work. Morgan is a 2023 Appointee to the Order of Ontario, the 2022 winner of the Toronto Arts Foundation Celebration of Cultural Life award, a 2016 finalist for the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and a 2013 inductee into the Scarborough Walk of Fame.

Dwayne has performed for the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, the former Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean, the late leader of the NDP, Jack Layton, and has shared the stage with many of Canada’s top artists including Russell Peters while opening for international artists Alicia Keys, and recording with Canadian artists, including Drake. To date Morgan has shared his work in 18 countries internationally.

 

About the contest

The LCP Spoken Word Award submissions open twice annually, in June and November.

The $500 LCP Spoken Word Award celebrates a single poem or suite of poems up to 10 minutes in length.

The award celebrates the wide range of styles represented within the spoken word genre, from dub poetry to spoken word poetry to sound poetry and beyond. By running twice per year, this prize will recognize two poems or suites of poems that represent two distinct schools of spoken word poetry.

The summer submission window welcomes poems that center the performance, structure, and artistry of spoken word without any multi-media creativity (eg. videos do not have additional audio or visual effects or accompaniment).