The Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation, and the Honourable Pam Parsons, Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality, are congratulating Carmella Gray-Cosgrove on winning the 2021 BMO Winterset Award for her debut story collection, Nowadays and Lonelier. The award, which celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing, was presented yesterday afternoon at a ceremony at Government House in St. John’s.
Carmella received an award of $12,500 for her work, while the other two finalists each received an award of $3,000. The other two finalists were Aimee Wall for We, Jane and Claire Wilkshire for The Love Olympics. This is the second year in a row that all three finalists for the BMO Winterset Award have been female.
Nowadays and Lonelier is one of 35 works by Newfoundland and Labrador authors (either native-born or resident) that were submitted by publishers from across the country. Books in any genre, published in 2021, were eligible. The jury consisted of Petrina Bromley, Eva Crocker, and Nelson White.
Sponsored by BMO Financial Group and the Sandra Fraser Gwyn Foundation, the BMO Winterset Award honours the memory of Sandra Fraser Gwyn, a St. John’s-born award-winning journalist and author, as well as a passionate advocate of Newfoundland and Labrador’s arts community. Her husband, journalist and author Richard Gwyn, established the award in her memory in 2000.
Quotes
“Newfoundland and Labrador is home to an enormous wealth of artistic talent that has fundamentally shaped our collective cultural identity and expression. This prestigious award gives authors like Carmella, Aimee, and Claire the recognition they deserve. Congratulations to each of you on your fine work and thank you for your contribution to Newfoundland and Labrador’s literary scene.”
Honourable Steve Crocker
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
“I applaud the three finalists for the 2021 BMO Winterset Award, who – for the second year in a row – are all women. Newfoundland and Labrador is home to many gifted women writers, musicians and creators, and our Provincial Government celebrates the talent and hard work of these incredible women authors. Well done on this deserved recognition, and congratulations to Carmella Gray-Cosgrove for winning this year’s BMO Winterset Award.”
Honourable Pam Parsons
Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality
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BMO Winterset Award
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