RELEASE: BMO Renews Support for Winterset Award with Five-Year Commitment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BMO Renews Support for Winterset Award with Five-Year Commitment

November 24, 2025 (St. John’s, NL) – ArtsNL is excited to announce that BMO has confirmed it will continue to support the BMO Winterset Award for another five years with a financial contribution of $100,000, ensuring continued recognition of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most outstanding writers.

Managed by ArtsNL, the award is a partnership made possible through the generous support of BMO, along with the Sandra Fraser Gwyn Foundation, through Carol Bishop Gwyn, widow of the award’s founder, well-known writer Richard Gwyn, O.C.

The BMO Winterset Award is one of Atlantic Canada’s most prestigious and lucrative literary prizes. It was established in 2000 by Richard Gwyn to honour his late wife, Sandra Fraser Gwyn, a St. John’s-born social historian and prize-winning author who championed national awareness of Newfoundland and Labrador culture. The award takes its name from Winterset, the historic family home on Winter Avenue in St. John’s, where Sandra grew up.

“BMO’s renewed support for this award proves how valuable Newfoundland and Labrador’s literary talent is,” said Carol Bishop Gwyn. “It is important to me that this award now honours both the memory of Sandra and Richard. They would be so pleased to know that this award will continue to recognize and nurture the Newfoundland and Labrador literary community.”

“At BMO, we believe a thriving local art scene is essential to building stronger communities,” said Dean Holloway, Regional Vice President, Newfoundland and Labrador, BMO. “The BMO Winterset Award celebrates the rich literary talent of Newfoundland and Labrador, and we’re proud to continue supporting this important recognition of local voices and stories. Through our renewed commitment, we hope to help inspire creativity, foster cultural pride, and contribute to the vibrant future of our province.”

The annual prize awards $12,500 to the winner and $3,000 each to two finalists.

For more information about the BMO Winterset Award, including past winners and upcoming announcements, click here.

Media enquiries:

Charlene Jackson
Communications Officer, ArtsNL
(709) 726-2212 ext. 3
charlene@artsnl.ca

Kate Simandl
BMO Public Relations
(416) 867-3996
Kate.Simandl@bmo.com

The Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council (ArtsNL) is a non-profit Crown agency created in 1980 by The Arts Council Act. Its mission is to foster and promote the creation and enjoyment of the arts for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The Council is governed by a volunteer board of no fewer than 9 and no more than 11 members appointed by Government. At least 7 members must be artists or arts administrators, and one member is appointed to represent the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation (non-voting). ArtsNL receives an annual allocation of $5.3 million from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to support a variety of granting programs, program delivery, office administration, and communications. It also seeks support from the public and private sectors. It supports the following artistic disciplines: dance, film and video, Indigenous arts and practices, literary arts, multidisciplinary arts, music and sound, theatre and performing arts, visual arts, and other similar creative and interpretative works or activities.

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Helping communities thrive by supporting the organizations that sustain them and encouraging employee giving and volunteerism is at the heart of BMO’s Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life.

In 2024, we directed more than $108 million to drive progress for communities, which included $101 million in philanthropic contributions to hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations across North America.

Our colleagues spent over 54,000 hours volunteering in the community and contributed more than $39 million of donations through employee-driven giving in our annual campaigns.

For more information, please visit BMO.com.

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