RELEASE: Long list announced for 2023 BMO Winterset Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2024 (St. John’s, NL) – ArtsNL is pleased to announce the 2023 BMO Winterset Award long list. This award celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing.

The six-title long list includes:

• Rhea Rollmann, A Queer History of Newfoundland (Engen Books), NL
• Michael Crummey, The Adversary (Knopf Canada), ON
• William Ping, Hollow Bamboo (HarperCollins), ON
• Holly Hogan, Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches from a Seabird Biologist (Knopf Canada), ON
• Aley Waterman, Mudflowers (Dundurn Press), ON
• Matthew Hollett, Optic Nerve (Brick Books), ON

The BMO Winterset Award is supported through a partnership between BMO Financial Group, ArtsNL, and the Sandra Fraser Gwyn Foundation and celebrates Newfoundland and Labrador writers. The award was first established in 2000 to commemorate the life of St. John’s-born social historian, Sandra Fraser Gwyn O.C.—wife of Canadian journalist and author, Richard Gwyn O.C.—who spent a great deal of her life promoting national awareness of the province’s arts.

The BMO Winterset Award receives generous, ongoing support from the BMO Financial Group. The award, administered by ArtsNL, seeks to reward excellence in writing across all genres and both emerging and established writers are eligible. This year, 49 entries were received.

To be considered for Newfoundland and Labrador’s most prominent literary award, entries must be written by Newfoundland and Labrador-born authors or residents of the province. Residency is defined as having lived in Newfoundland and Labrador for a minimum of twelve consecutive months immediately prior to the time of submission of works. Entries may span all genres, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s books. The winner receives $12,500 and each finalist receives $3,000.

Media enquiries:
Charlene Jackson
Communications Officer
(709) 726-2212 ext. 3
charlene@artsnl.ca

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 13 appointed by government, reflecting regional representation of the province. This includes 10 professional artists who provide sectoral representation of the arts community; two community representatives (with an interest in the arts); and one representative of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation (non-voting). ArtsNL receives an annual allocation of $5.2 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 sector. It supports the following artistic disciplines: dance, film, multidiscipline, music, theatre, visual art, and writing.

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