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Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence 14

A project of The Ex-Puritan

About

The Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence serves to honor the memory of Austin Clarke (1934-2016). Clarke was, above all else, an exceptional writer, one who disrupted the expectations of what Canadian literature could and should become. His literary career was characterized by impressive productivity. In the span of his lifetime, he published eleven novels (including his 2002 Giller-winning The Polished Hoe), nine short story collections, two poetry collections, along with a number of memoirs. In this large body of work, he continually questioned the homogeneity implied with the development of a Canadian cultural establishment. He was deeply critical of the official Canadian position of multiculturalism, but to consider his work a “realist or sociological account of Black life in Canada” would be, as Paul Barrett notes in the introduction to his 2017 “‘Membering Austin Clarke: A Puritan Special Issue,” a fundamental misreading of the value of his writing. Although Clarke began his writing career as a reporter at the Timmins Daily Press and The Globe and Mail, his vast body of literary work has “never been realist, nor has it ever been reportage: it is a polyvocal, hybridizing, experimental, introspective, satirical, patriarchal, offensive, provocative and—at times—outraged artistic reflection on life in Canada” which “demands” a stylistic account. We at The Ex-Puritan agree. We have long been admirers of Clarke’s work, and with this renaming of our annual literary award, we want to encourage our readers and writers to think through what it means to rebuke the Canadian cultural establishment. We want our writers to continue Clarke’s legacy by reimagining the boundaries of Canadian literature. Equally important to this, however, is a focus on style. Although we divide this award by entries into fiction and poetry, we want our submitters to reimagine the boundaries of what fiction and poetry can look like. We actively encourage submissions that are experimental with form and unrelentingly demand an attention to their style. We believe that Austin Clarke would’ve wanted nothing less.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
Important: Previously named the Thomas Morton Prize in Literary Excellence.

Country of Publication

Canada

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationAwarded 1 x per year.

Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:
Open to a broad Audience.
Genres:
General General
Styles:
Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.
Topics:
Open to all/most Topics.
Types/Lengths:
TypeLength Details
Short Story Short Story1,000 - 7,500 words.
Winner's Prize:
We list broad pay categories rather than prize specifics. Check with the publisher for details.
Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word).
Submissions:
ElectronicPostalReprintsSimultaneousMulti-EntriesMedia
OK No No No OKText format submissions
Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:
Open to a broad Audience.
Genres:
General General
Poetry Forms:
Open to all/most Forms.
Styles:
Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.
Topics:
Open to all/most Topics.
Types/Lengths:
TypeLength Details
Poem PoemNo line limits known; Up to 4 pieces.
Winner's Prize:
We list broad pay categories rather than prize specifics. Check with the publisher for details.
Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem).
Submissions:
ElectronicPostalReprintsSimultaneousMulti-EntriesMedia
OK No No No OKText format submissions
Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence Submission Statistics

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Dates

Last Updated: 09 Nov 2023
Last Audited: 08 Oct 2023 We audit each active listing twice a year.
Date Added: 09 May 2012

Before Submitting

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  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.