Writers' Trust of Canada
Donate

Encouraging the best debut LGBTQ2S+ writers in Canada

Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers

Highlights

GuidelinesPrize History

Prize

Winner $12,000
Finalists $2,000

Shortlist Announcement

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Questions? Please contact:

Devon Jackson, Senior Program Manager
djackson@writerstrust.com

About the Prize

The Dayne Ogilvie Prize is presented annually to a Canadian writer from the LGBTQ2S+ community for a debut book in any genre.

An increase to the prize purse from $10,000 to $12,000 was announced at this year’s awards event. The Dayne Ogilvie Prize was founded by Robin Pacific and is supported by the Dayne Ogilvie Endowment Fund, Anuja Varghese and the Writers' Trust Prize Fund.

2024 Winner

Anthony Oliveira

Dayspring

Strange Light

Jury Citation

“Ambitiously and audaciously, Anthony Oliveira transforms scripture into a poetic and erotic queer love story. Dayspring crosses centuries and genres, bends fan fiction into dazzling verse, and mixes the sacred and the profane with the sublime and the perverse. In a sly nod to red letter bibles, Oliveira uses blood-coloured ink to render the words of Jesus, who emerges as fallible and playful, horny and tender. With the heft of a tome, the lure of a page-turner, and the sweep of an epic poem, Dayspring is an effervescent and poignant work about love and humanity.” — 2024 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers jury (Jillian Christmas, Adam Garnet Jones, and Hazel Jane Plante) 

2024 Finalists

Jury

A jury of authors composed of Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay, Darrin Hagen, and Janika Oza selected this year’s finalists from 27 titles representing 25 Canadian publishing imprints.

The recognition gives a lot of agency, power, and love back to those of us who are producing and writing right now.

– Joshua Whitehead

2018 Dayne Ogilivie Prize finalist

Prize History

The Dayne Ogilvie Prize was established in 2007 by Robin Pacific in memory of her friend, editor and literary manager Dayne Ogilvie. It honours outstanding debut books by LGBTQ2S+ writers of any age and in any genre. Books published between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025 were eligible for this year’s prize. Past winners include Michael V. Smith, Zoe Whittall, Farzana Doctor, Kai Cheng Thom, Jillian Christmas, francesca ekwuyasi, Anuja Varghese, and most recently, Anthony Oliveira.

Sponsor

The Dayne Ogilvie Prize was founded by Robin Pacific and is supported by the Dayne Ogilvie Endowment Fund, Anuja Varghese, and the Writers’ Trust Prize Fund.