Upper Canada Brewing Company
Writers' Craft Award

C A L L    F O R    E N T R I E S

In the year 2000, at the start of the new millennium, the Upper Canada Brewing Company established a new literary tradition with its inaugural Writers' Craft Award, the largest prize in Canada honouring a published collection of short stories. After a successful sophomore year in 2001, Upper Canada is once again pleased to invite Canadian publishers of fiction to submit short story collections by Ontario-based authors for the Third Annual Upper Canada Brewing Company Writers' Craft Award.

A shortlist will be announced at the 14th annual Eden Mills Writers' Festival on September 8, 2002. The shortlisted authors will read from their work at the Word on the Street in Toronto, Sunday, September 29. The winner of this year's Upper Canada Brewing Company Writers' Craft Award will be announced at a reception in October, to be hosted by Daniel Richler of BookTelevision. The winning author will receive a cheque for $10,000 and a hand-crafted trophy.

Shortlisted author Sandra Sabatini on stage at the award ceremony. Sassafraz, in Yorkville, 10 October, 2001.

Steven Hayward (Buddha Stevens and Other Stories - Exile Editions) was the first recipient of the Upper Canada Brewing Company Writers' Craft Award. Regarding the award, Mr Hayward had this to say: `The Upper Canada Writers' Craft Award occupies a unique and crucial space in Canadian culture. This is an award for a collection of short stories - as opposed to a single short story - and it serves to call attention to books that would be otherwise overlooked, lost in the shuffle, and that are often hardly mentioned by the press. For myself, a first-time author with a book from a small press, the award was an important validation for myself as a writer, and was a great leap forward in my career.'

The jury this year includes three highly-respected members of the Ontario literary community. Greg Gatenby is the artistic director of the Harbourfront Reading Series and the International Festival of Authors. Sandra Martin is Senior Arts Features Writer with The Globe and Mail. Leon Rooke won the Governor General's Award for his novel, Shakespeare's Dog, and continues in his role as artistic director of the Eden Mills Writers' Festival.

K.D. Miller (left) was shortlisted for the first annual Upper Canada award (2000). K.D. is joined by Bill Lisowsky, brand manager for Upper Canada and Sandy Sabatini at the Porcupine's Quill booth, the Word on the Street, Toronto, September 30, 2001.

Publishers are invited to submit a maximum of two entries for the Writers' Craft Award which will celebrate outstanding collections of short stories by Ontario-based writers published in English (either originally, or in translation) after July 1, 2001 and prior to June 30, 2002. Five copies of each eligible title along with an accompanying press release, author biography and photograph should be sent to Tim Inkster, 68 Main Street, Erin Ontario N0B 1T0. Please refer to the Criteria for Submissions for detailed eligibility requirements. Submissions will be accepted up to the closing date of June 30, 2002.

`The Upper Canada Brewing Company is once again pleased to offer this unique award and continue our long-standing support of the literary community in the Province' said Peter Amirault, President of The Upper Canada Brewing Company. `Our customers appreciate a local premium brewery actively supporting local artists and artisans. The Writers' Craft Award gives us an opportunity for one fine craft to help celebrate another'.

The Upper Canada Brewing Company is one of the pioneers of the craft beer movement in Ontario. The company's selection of premium ales and lagers is handcrafted with the finest of natural ingredients.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Tim Inkster at (519) 833-9158 or by e-mail at pql@sentex.net.