Key Takeaways
- The Writers’ Trust of Canada announced the 2026 finalists for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award, which honours emerging Canadian writers in poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction who have not yet published a book.
- Each category winner receives $10,000; every finalist receives $2,500.
- Poetry finalists are Jeremy Audet (Earth Gigantic), Renato Gandia (Psalmody for the Estranged), and Rachel Robb (Bugonia, Bugonia & Other Poems).
- Short‑fiction finalists are Julia Cottrelle (The Old Turtle Climb), Rebecca Peng (The Department of Unjust Histories), and Dilan Qadir (Interpreter of Afflictions).
- Creative‑nonfiction finalists are Katie Lawrence (Paint Job), Graham Slaughter (The Perfect Home for Your Child), and Erin Soros (You Have to Live Long and Be Happy).
- The winners will be revealed at a Toronto event on June 1, 2026, with work accessible on the Writers’ Trust website and Apple Books.
Overview of the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award
The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award, established in 1994, celebrates the legacy of poet and short‑story writer Bronwen Wallace by providing early‑career recognition to Canadian writers who have not yet released a full‑length book. Administered by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, the prize now encompasses poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction—a expansion that began in 2025. Winners receive $10,000, while each finalist is awarded $2,500, offering both financial support and heightened visibility for emerging voices across the country.
Poetry Finalist Jeremy Audet
Jeremy Audet, based in Montreal, is a finalist for his poem Earth Gigantic. Jurors Jeff Latosik, Zehra Naqvi, and Chuqiao Yang praised the work for “roving masterfully through ecosystems, migratory patterns, and shifting seasons to witness the profound and multifaceted experiences of love and grief.” Audet serves as nonfiction editor at yolk and founding editor of Canto; he has previously won the Bridge Prize and been shortlisted for the Montreal International Poetry Prize, the Foster Poetry Prize, and the Open Season Award for Poetry. He is also a writer‑in‑residence at the Al & Eurithe Purdy A‑Frame Association.
Poetry Finalist Renato Gandia
Renato Gandia, a Filipino‑Canadian writer residing in Calgary, is shortlisted for Psalmody for the Estranged. The jury noted that the poems “appeal to our basic needs to belong, to experience awe, to be seen, and to be accepted.” Gandia’s accolades include the 2025 Pacific Spirit Poetry Prize and a shortlist for the 2026 Open Season Awards at The Malahat Review. His work frequently explores themes of identity, displacement, and the search for communal belonging within the Canadian landscape.
Poetry Finalist Rachel Robb
Rachel Robb, a writer and educator of Jamaican and Irish heritage, is nominated for Bugonia, Bugonia & Other Poems. The jury described the collection as “ambitious and measured, attentive to what a poem can truly hold.” Robb’s poetry has appeared in the Bridport Prize anthology and has been shortlisted for the Fiddlehead’s Ralph Gustafson Poetry Prize, the Alpine Fellowship, and the Montreal International Poetry Prize. She won the 2024 CBC Poetry Prize, which includes a $6,000 grant, a two‑week residency at the Banff Centre, and publication on CBC Books.
Short‑Fiction Category Overview
The short‑fiction finalists were selected by jurors Jamaluddin Aram, Jen Neale, and Nathan Whitlock. This category highlights emerging writers who demonstrate exceptional narrative skill and originality in prose forms under book‑length length. Each finalist’s story reflects a distinct voice while engaging with contemporary social, cultural, or personal themes.
Short‑Fiction Finalist Julia Cottrelle
Julia Cottrelle, based in Toronto, is shortlisted for The Old Turtle Climb, which the jury called “quietly devastating.” Cottrelle’s work has appeared in The Fiddlehead, Room Magazine, subTerrain, and the Emerging Writers’ Reader Series. She has also served on the editorial boards of The Fiddlehead and PRISM international. Her writing often explores subtle emotional undercurrents within everyday settings, rendering ordinary moments with resonant depth.
Short‑Fiction Finalist Rebecca Peng
Rebecca Peng, a Toronto‑based writer and podcast producer, is nominated for The Department of Unjust Histories. The jury praised the piece as a “shrewd and quick‑witted satire.” Peng’s contributions can be found in Room Magazine, The Orange & Bee, and The Walrus. She is currently completing her Master’s in creative writing at the University of Toronto, where she hones her ability to blend humour with incisive critique of institutional narratives.
Short‑Fiction Finalist Dilan Qadir
Dilan Qadir, a Kurdish Canadian writer residing in Vancouver, is shortlisted for Interpreter of Afflictions. The jurors remarked that “Qadir’s words are selected with prudence, resulting in meticulous prose that is at once sparse and full.” Qadir was named a 2025 Writers’ Trust Rising Star and received the PEN Canada‑Humber College Writers‑in‑Exile Scholarship in 2023. His writing frequently addresses themes of displacement, identity, and the intercultural experience of diaspora communities.
Creative‑Nonfiction Category Overview
The creative‑nonfiction finalists were chosen by jurors Alison Calder, Robert McGill, and Padma Viswanathan. This category recognizes emerging writers who craft factual narratives with literary flair, blending reportage, memoir, and essayistic reflection to illuminate real‑world experiences.
Creative‑Nonfiction Finalist Katie Lawrence
Katie Lawrence, a Toronto‑based storyteller, is shortlisted for Paint Job, described by the jury as “a time capsule that transports readers to the fraught ground of young adulthood.” Lawrence’s work has appeared in The Dalhousie Review, La Piccioletta Barca, and Spellbinder. Her pieces have been performed at the Halifax Fringe Festival and The Creative School Chrysalis, with a forthcoming staging at the 2026 Toronto Fringe Festival. Her writing often captures the transitional anxieties and hopes of emerging adulthood.
Creative‑Nonfiction Finalist Graham Slaughter
Graham Slaughter, also based in Toronto, returns for a second shortlist with The Perfect Home for Your Child. The jury observed that the piece “brings equal measures of acuity and empathy to its story of a would‑be adoptive couple as they wait for a prospective birth mother to decide if she will keep her child.” Slaughter’s work has been shortlisted for PEN Canada’s New Voices Award and longlisted for The Masters Review Novel Excerpt Contest. His writing appears in PRISM international, the Toronto Star, Toronto Life, and Canadian Geographic, frequently tackling contemporary familial and ethical dilemmas.
Creative‑Nonfiction Finalist Erin Soros
Erin Soros, a Vancouver‑based writer, is shortlisted for You Have to Live Long and Be Happy. The jury noted that Soros “tunnels through a peaceful interlude, a woman visiting Ireland with her elderly mother, into darkness and troubled pasts.” Soros’s publishing credits include Carte Blanche, English Studies in Canada, and Exile Literary Quarterly. She has won the Malahat Review Long Poem Prize, the 2023 Writers’ Union of Canada Short Prose Award, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, and a 2021 National Magazine Award. Additionally, she captured the 2005 CBC Short Story Prize for The Chorus and was a finalist for the 2019 CBC Poetry Prize for You Left Something.
Announcement Event, Past Winners, and Writers’ Trust Mission
The 2026 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award winners will be announced at a Toronto event on June 1, with the finalist works accessible on the Writers’ Trust website and via Apple Books. Last year’s recipients were Dora Prieto, Jess Goldman, and Phillip Dwight Morgan. The award’s inaugural winner was Michael Crummey, and past laureates include Maria Reva, Jeramy Dodds, Alison Pick, and Alissa York. The Writers’ Trust of Canada, a charitable organization, aims to advance, nurture, and celebrate Canadian writers and writing through eleven national literary awards, financial grants, career‑development initiatives for emerging writers, and a writers’ retreat, fostering a vibrant literary community nationwide.