$5,000 award established to honour the late author Grace Irwin

The Grace Irwin Award is Canada's largest literary prize for writers who are Christian. It will celebrate the best book published in 2009 by a Canadian author who writes from a Christian worldview.

All shortlisted finalists in fiction and nonfiction book categories in The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards will contend for the Grace Irwin Award. A separate round of independent judging will determine the inaugural prizewinner, who will be announced on June 16, 2010 at a black-tie Awards Gala.

The Word Guild initiated this award to help develop the careers of gifted writers, bring more attention to Christian writers in Canada, and generate increased book sales.

The award’s namesake, Grace Lilian Irwin, was a trailblazing Canadian Christian writer who published both fiction and nonfiction. She passed away in September 2008 at age 101 after a vibrant life as an author, Classics scholar and ordained minister. Her alma mater, University of Toronto’s Victoria College, called her “an inspirational force in the lives of all who knew her.”

During her 38-year career teaching English, Latin and Greek at Humberside Collegiate Institute in Toronto, she spent her summers writing at her cottage in Haliburton, Ontario. Her first and best-known novel, Least of All Saints, was published in 1952 by McLelland & Stewart. Seven additional books were published in a 50-year period, including the dramatized biography Servant of Slaves (about British slave trader and hymn writer John Newton), which was praised by a University of Toronto review as the best historical novel of 1961.

The award is co-sponsored by The Word Guild, a national association that represents more than 350 Canadian writers and editors who are Christian. The Word Guild conferred Grace Irwin with the Leslie K. Tarr Award in 2002 for outstanding career contribution to Christian writing and publishing in Canada. Other Tarr Award recipients include Governor General’s Literary Award winners Margaret Avison and Rudy Wiebe.

Retired book publisher and nephew of Grace Irwin, John W. Irwin, and his wife Eleanor have donated the cash prize. M. Eleanor Irwin, PhD, is a retired associate professor of Latin and Greek at University of Toronto Scarborough. John formerly owned a Canadian educational publishing house. His four decades of church and community volunteerism include serving on the board of Christian Info Canada, the parent organization of The Word Guild.

“As a career book publisher, I understand the importance to any author of public recognition of his or her work by winning a juried prize,” John explained. “The Irwin family is happy to offer the Grace Irwin Award in recognition of a remarkable life, well lived. We pray that it will assist in the recognition of other Canadian writers of distinction.”

Contest organizers envision that the cash prize will assist writers to take a sabbatical for writing or research; expand their public platform; hone public speaking and media skills; attend writers’ conferences or courses; obtain professional editing of manuscripts in progress; purchase upgraded computer equipment; or other projects.

Eligible books must be written in English by Canadian citizens or permanent residents who affirm The Apostles’ Creed. The books—which may have been published for general or Christian markets—need not deal explicitly with religious subject matter, but judges will look for an underlying expression of the writers’ Christian perspective informing and influencing the writing.

Contest Details

The Word Guild initiated the Grace Irwin Award to help talented writers to further develop their writing careers. To be eligible for the prize, books first must be shortlisted in any of 20 categories in The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards. There is no separate entry form; all finalists automatically will be considered for the Irwin Award.

During a secondary stage of competition, independent judges will determine the winner of the Irwin Award. The $5,000 prize will be presented to the author of what judges deem is the year’s most outstanding book from a variety of genres, including novels, memoirs and poetry, as well as inspirational, children’s, young adult and independently-published books. All judges’ decisions are final.

The Word Guild contests are open to all eligible writers who have Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status, and are not restricted to members of The Word Guild. All entrants are asked to affirm The Apostles' Creed as a condition of acceptance in the contest. Publishers and editors may enter work on behalf of the authors.

Entries are now closed for this year. The winner will be announced at The Word Guild Awards Gala on June 16, 2010 at World Vision, 1 World Drive. Mississauga.

Guidelines for entering a book published in 2010

Watch for the deadline for 2010 books, coming early in the fall.