J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award (WFNS)

Complete submission information for all five Awards administered by the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia is available here

The J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award ($2,000 prize) is awarded for a book of poetry written or co-written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada* that was published and/or distributed for the first time in Canada in the year prior to and including the submission deadline. For the 2024 award, the eligibility year runs from November 2, 2022, to November 1, 2023.

The J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award was created by the writing community in the late 1990s. The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, with the assistance of several poets, publishers, and post-secondary institutions, raised funds for an annual award program designed to honour the best book of poetry by an Atlantic Canadian. In 2014, the Award was named for the legacy of J.M. Abraham.

The J.M. Abraham Poetry Award was first presented in 1998. Please visit the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia webpage for this award to submit and see a list of past winners.

Submission Deadline For 2024 Awards: November 1, 2023

* Full-time residents of Atlantic Canada are those who have lived in one or a combination of the Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island) for at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the submission deadline date. A co-authored book is eligible if at least one co-author meets this residency requirement.