The Walrus Foundation Announces the Third Annual
$5,000 Walrus Poetry Prize
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—April 29—
The Walrus Foundation is proud to announce the third annual
Walrus Poetry Prize, generously supported by the
Hal Jackman Foundation. “I’m really proud that our
poetry prize is now in its third year, and that
the incredible Amanda Jernigan is our judge. I
can’t wait to see what gems we find in this year’s
submissions.” Submissions open May 15,
and entries from eligible Canadian poets will be
accepted until June 30 at
Critically acclaimed poet Amanda Jernigan will
choose this year’s prize winner from a list of
finalists compiled by The Walrus magazine’s poetry
editor, Michael Lista. The finalists and the prize
winner will be selected blindly, with names
revealed following the selection process. On
September 1, five finalists will be unveiled
online at thewalrus.ca/poetry-prize, where the
public can vote for the Readers’ Choice Award.
The Walrus Poetry Prize winner will receive
$4,000, and the Readers’ Choice Award winner will
receive $1,000. Both poems will be published in
the December 2014 issue of The Walrus and online
The Hal Jackman Foundation has generously
supported the prize since its inauguration. “We
are delighted to be supporting the Walrus Poetry
Prize again for its third year,” says executive
director Victoria Jackman. “Our foundation strives
to foster creativity and enrich our community
through the arts, and this project takes on that
challenge by creating new opportunities for
talented Canadian poets while engaging readers in
the discussion and appreciation of the wonderful
poetry our country has to offer.”
The prize will bring the best new poems and poets
in Canada to light for a national audience.
“Several times in the past year, I’ve been
buttonholed, pinned down by a poem in the pages of
The Walrus, a short lyric that has proven
unforgettable,” says Jernigan. “I am looking
forward to reading the finalists for this year’s
contest and am expecting to find poems that will
be similarly arresting.”
The Walrus Foundation is dedicated to publishing
the best in Canadian poetry, and the poetry prize
helps us accomplish this goal. Shelley Ambrose,
executive director of the Walrus Foundation and
co-publisher of The Walrus, says, “The Walrus
Poetry Prize is an occasion to support the best
poets in our country and create a forum for
conversation about poetry. We are excited to have
the ongoing support of the Hal Jackman Foundation,
which shares our enthusiasm for this exciting
project. We’re looking forward once again to
discovering and sharing the best new poetry with
Canadians.”
Winners will be announced at
thewalrus.ca/poetry-prize in November 2014.
Participate at thewalrus.ca/poetry-prize
Submissions: May 15–June 30
Vote for the Readers’ Choice Award:
September 1–30
Read the winning poems: November
For more information about the Walrus Poetry Prize
or to schedule an interview please contact:
Stephanie Damgaard
Development Coordinator
The Walrus Foundation
ABOUT THE HAL JACKMAN FOUNDATION
The Hal Jackman Foundation believes cultural
activities are essential tools in fostering
vibrant, livable communities. It is committed to
the development and presentation of compelling
artistic programs in the visual and performing
arts. It focuses on increasing access to and
appreciation of arts and culture, as well as
building the audiences of the future. In the last
25 years, the Foundation has awarded more than $20
million to over 200 arts and educational
institutions, underlining the Hal Jackman
Foundation’s civic commitment to Toronto.
ABOUT THE WALRUS FOUNDATION
The Walrus Foundation is a registered charitable
non-profit with an educational mandate to create
forums for conversations on matters vital to
Canadians. The foundation is dedicated to
supporting writers, artists, ideas, and
conversation. We achieve these goals across many
platforms: publishing The Walrus magazine ten
times a year in print, tablet, and smart phone
editions; curating The Walrus Talks, leadership
dinners, speakers’ series, and other events across
the country; publishing original high-quality
content at thewalrus.ca; through such digital
projects as Walrus Ebooks; and by partnering with
Blue Ant Media to produce documentaries and other
programming at thewalrus.ca/tv, and training young
professionals in media, publishing, and non-profit
development. thewalrus.ca
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