Advocacy & Aid

The Marie-Ange Garrigue Prize recognizes those who provide significant help to writers or journalists in danger outside Canada. Nominees are adjudicated by a jury, and the winning nominee receives a $3,000 CAD cash prize and recognition at a PEN Canada awards ceremony.

Since being estalished in 2022, the prize has been generously funded by Cynthia Wine and Philip Slayton. Learn more about previous winners and the award’s namesake.

Eligibility

Nominees must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or a Canadian organization,
• have recently provided significant help to a imperilled writer or journalist outside Canada, in particular a writer or journalist who has faced threats, violence, harassment or imprisonment for reporting or commenting on issues of public interest
• The significant help may have been rendered in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:
  • personal action
  • direct aid
  • advocacy
  • mobilization of help
  • funding
  • intervention with governments or third parties

How to submit a nomination

In the form below (also available here), please include a brief biography of the nominee, description of what the nominee has done to aid the identified writer or journalist outside Canada. Nominations must include specific examples of actions that the nominee has taken on behalf of such a writer or journalist, with supporting details and links. Details of the circumstances faced by the journalist or writer and their experience of abuse for speaking out on matters of public interest must also be included.

The deadline to submit a nomination is Thursday July 2, 2026 at midnight. 

If you have questions or are experiencing issues submitting your nomination, please contact Theresa Johnson at queries@pencanada.ca.