The Griffin Poetry Prize will host a town hall as part of its plan to re-evaluate its format.
Prize benefactor Scott Griffin solicited online feedback last month on the literary award, after three years of backlash over a change he made to the award that bears his name.
The Griffin Poetry Prize used to be two awards — one for an international poet and one for a Canadian — worth $65,000 apiece, but in 2022 Griffin announced he would combine the prizes into a single $130,000 pot open to all poets.
As part of those changes, a $10,000 prize is also awarded for a first poetry book written in English by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Critics argued the change took away an opportunity for Canadian poets, and the Griffin Trust launched the survey weeks after this year’s long list came out with no Canadian names on it.
The organization says there were 285 respondents to the survey.
The town hall will be held at noon on May 25, both in-person and online, just over a week before this year’s Griffin Poetry Prize is set to be handed out.
The in-person event will be held at Victoria College at the University of Toronto.
This year’s Griffin Poetry Prize winner will be announced on June 3, at a gala event in Toronto.
Last year’s winner was German poet Durs Grünbein for Psyche Running, translated by Karen Leeder. Margaret Atwood won the lifetime achievement award, while the Canadian First Book Prize was won by Whitehorse author Dawn Macdonald for Northerny.
Other past Canadian winners include Tolu Oloruntoba, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Anne Carson, Roo Borson, Dionne Brand and Jordan Abel.
If you enjoy writing poetry, the 2026 CBC Poetry Prize is open until June 1 at 4:59 p.m. ET. Make sure to read the complete rules and regulations before submitting.
