The Honourable Andrea Barbour, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation, congratulates all winners of the annual Arts and Letters Awards.
The event took place on Friday, April 17, at The Rooms. Prizes totaling $47,650 were awarded in literary, music, and visual arts sections. There were 29 winning entries in the junior division, 31 winning entries in the senior division, five winners in this year’s multi-disciplinary one-time HERSTORY Empowers special category, and another 16 visual art exhibitors chosen for exhibition by the curator at The Rooms. A total of 507 entries were submitted for consideration for the 2026 program.
The Percy Janes First Novel Award, the program’s top prize of $2,500, was awarded to Paul Whittle for Sunflower.
First launched in 1952, the Arts and Letters Awards is a renowned provincial program that encourages artistic creation and recognizes excellence through the awarding of monetary prizes. Established and emerging artists are invited annually to submit original creative work in literature, music, and visual art to be adjudicated by professional artists in these disciplines. The department looks forward to the 75th anniversary of the Arts and Letters Awards program in 2027.
In addition to the regular program, this year’s Arts and Letters Awards included a one-time, multi-disciplinary HERSTORY Empowers category. Artists were invited to create and submit works that reflect on the years of campaigning by suffragists, who worked tirelessly to make their voices heard and their votes count. This coincided with Newfoundland and Labrador’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote and hold public office.
A detailed list of award recipients can be found in the backgrounder below. More information on the program and submission guidelines can be found here.
Quotes
“For generations, the Arts and Letters Awards have supported creative voices. We celebrate this year’s talented artists whose work strengthens Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural landscape. Your contributions play a vital role in sustaining our vibrant arts community – for all of us.”
Honourable Andrea Barbour
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
“I am very pleased to see HERSTORY Empowers included as a one-time category in this year’s Arts and Letters Awards. It is a meaningful way to mark the 100th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote and hold public office, while celebrating excellence across the arts.”
Honourable Lela Evans
Minister of Women and Gender Equality
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BACKGROUNDER
2026 Arts and Letters Awards Recipients
JUNIOR AWARD WINNERS
Junior Poetry [15 and Under] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Danielle Devereaux; Jennifer Newhook; Craig Francis Power
| Scarlet Duffney | My Safe Place |
| Peyton Brennan | Things I could be doing |
| Logan Jesso | The Worst Day |
| Autumn LeRoux | Organ Crusher |
Junior Poetry [16-20] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Danielle Devereaux; Jennifer Newhook; Craig Francis Power
| Arielle Connors | Dust Upon the Mantel (Saudade) |
| Jack Guy | Saltwoven |
| Emily Pike | On the Intimacy of a Clementine |
| Taylor Ennis | Guilty Pleasure |
Junior Prose [15 and Under] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Charis Cotter; Ray Critch
| Nimi Abraham | The Big Change |
| Kloey Murphy | The Weight of What Remains |
| Christina Grace Dawe | Unseen |
| Oladoyin Agbaje | O’Donnell Military School |
Junior Prose [16-20] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Charis Cotter; Ray Critch
| Ethan Reid | Murder in the Carpathians |
| Isabelle Chaignon | The Old Hag |
| Ava Sinclair | Amphibians |
| Tersea Sheng | Afterlight |
Junior French Literary ($350 prize)
Adjudicator: Paul Rowe
| Maya Marmouche | Au-dessus des barrières |
Junior Music [15 and Under] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Tom Gordon; Rozalind MacPhail
| Thurston Thomson | O.S.T. 09 |
| Miguel Mendonça Harnett | Meep’s Masterpiece |
Junior Music [16-20] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Tom Gordon; Rozalind MacPhail
| Jack Guy | Nighttime Coastline |
| Summer Bennett | Hollow |
Junior Visual [15 and Under] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Brian Amadi; Bethany Mackenzie
| Tiara Naka Reynolds | The Consequence of Curiosity |
| Seth Morgan | My great grandfather’s boat, The Drusilla Theresa Schooner |
| Aurora Loder | LadyCats and GentleKits…the Meep Circus! |
| Claire Williams | Flashpoint Canine |
Junior Visual [16-20] ($350 prize)
Adjudicators: Brian Amadi; Bethany Mackenzie
| Meredith Parsons | It’s What’s Inside That Counts |
| Sydney Wells | Summer on Exploits Island |
| Tansy Staniland | Roots |
| Zoe Tucker | Reflections |
SENIOR AWARD WINNERS
Senior Poetry ($1000 prize)
Adjudicators: Andreae Callanan; Aaron Tucker
| Beth Follett | Women Are |
| Matthew Hollett | Robbie Burns Night |
| Joe Bishop | Sacred |
| Roger Power | Coming Upon a Moose Accident on the TCH |
Senior Short Fiction ($1000 prize)
Adjudicators: Shelly Kawaja; Chad Pelley
| Emma Cole | Wildfire |
| Molly Clarke | Renovation |
| Grant Loveys | Ghost Net |
| Allison Kelly | Aloe, Burn, Aloe, Burn |
Senior Nonfiction ($1000 prize)
Adjudicator: Debbie McGee
| Isabelle Schmelzer | Where do you belong |
| Adrian House | The Look |
| Ainsley Hawthorn | Plagues en Vogue |
Senior Dramatic Script ($1000 prize)
Adjudicator: Sharon King-Campbell
| Meghan Greeley | The Queen’s Wife |
| Mark Norberg | Bone |
Senior French Literary ($1000 prize)
Adjudicators: Paul Rowe
| Katherine Alexandra Harvey | Quand Je T’aurai Quitte |
Percey Janes First Novel Award ($2,500 prize)
Adjudicator: Trudy Morgan-Cole
| Paul Whittle | Sunflower |
Senior Music ($1000 prize)
Adjudicators: Tom Gordon, Rozalind MacPhail
| Alex Dinn | Carry the Weight |
| Allie Duff | Our Little Lives |
| Jodee Richardson | Night Train Whistle |
| Jenina MacGillivray | Bright Star |
Senior Visual ($1000 prize)
Adjudicators: Daniel Rumbolt; Anita Singh; Kym Greeley
| Reshelle Adams | Salt Work |
| Ginok Song | Afternoon Rowing |
| Molly Clarke | Nan’s Bedroom |
| Jackie Evans | Beyond the Veil |
| Kelly Bastow | Procession |
| Nicole Russell | Green Man |
| Tia Murphy Rowe | A Chapel Arm Winter |
| Christina Blanchard | Gutted |
| Chloe Lundrigan | Branch two generations ago, in wool sweaters |
| Deborah Cannon | Misty Morning Petty Harbour |
| Chelsea Beehan | Wendy |
| Tracy Cahill | Untitled |
HERSTORY Empowers Special Category ($1000 prize)
Adjudicators: Andrea Cooper; Michelle Butler Hallett; Anne Troake
| Alli Johnston | Una- Born 1925 | Visual Arts |
| Chelsie Cake | Colours of a Movement | Visual Arts |
| Kathy Rowe | The Slow Turning of Paper | Poetry |
| Natalie Dalton | Voluntarily Unsex Themselves | Poetry |
| Michelle T Clemens | Better For Us All | Dramatic Script |