Celebrating a milestone anniversary year

Writers’ Trust of Canada was founded 50 years ago in 1976 by writers — Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence, and David Young — with a goal to make Canada the best place in the world to be a writer. 50 years later, it is Canada’s leading charitable organization that advances, nurtures, and celebrates Canadian writers and writing.  

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, Writers’ Trust is launching a series of prize and programming initiatives geared towards the continued support of writers across the country. The recently launched $50,000 Writers’ Trust Board Fellowship recognized poet Anne-Marie Turza for her for exceptional creative ability while the Nancy Flight Prize for Nonfiction Editing recognizes the important role of editorial expertise in the production of good books. The organization’s ongoing video series is a throughline from writers to readers where Canadian authors share the essential experiences, fellow author interactions, and notable work that shaped them.  

As 2026 unfolds, follow along as we take bold strides to further assert Canada as one of the best places in the world to be a writer and celebrate the collective love of home — our people, our stories.