Recipients Announced for the Ninth Annual Indigenous Voices Awards

June 21, 2026: The Indigenous Voices Awards, the only major Canadian literary prize to celebrate creativity and excellence in published and unpublished work by emerging Indigenous writers, today announced reuben quinn (onôcihtôwipîsim, Saddle Lake) as this year’s recipient for published prose in English ($5,000)  and Melissa Powless Day (Anishinaabe and Kanien’kehá:ka, Walpole Island First Nation), as this year’s recipient for published poetry in English ($5,000).

The IVAs French prizes (PVA) were awarded on June 14, 2026 during the Kwe! Festival. Catégorie prose narrative en français ($5,000) went to Jocelyn Sioui (Wendat) for Poisson d’eau douce  (Éditions Hannenorak); and catégorie poésie et théâtre en français ($5,000) went to Marie-Andrée Gill (Ilnue) for Uashtenamu : Allumer quelque chose (La Peuplade).

Launched in 2017, the IVAs have now awarded over $274,000 to Indigenous authors. All IVAs & PVAs prize money remain entirely funded by donation. Visit IndigenousVoicesAwards.org to learn more, and hear more from the nominees, here.

The 2026 IVAs Prose in English Award goes to reuben quinn (onôcihtôwipîsim, Saddle Lake) for ᑭᐢᑭᓱᒥᑐᐠ kiskisomitok: ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ to remind each and one another (Talonbooks)

Jury Citation:

“reuben quinn’s Kiskisomitok is a cultural treasure that will leave a legacy for future generations. Kiskisomitok provides a vital contribution to nêhiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ research, literature, and language revitalization. I will continue to reflect on reuben’s words, and I am deeply grateful for his teachings. Kiskisomitok has not left my side since I’ve read it.”

The 2026 IVAs Poetry in English Award goes to Melissa Powless Day (Anishinaabe and Kanien’kehá:ka, Walpole Island First Nation), for A Bow Forged from Ash (Palimpsest Press)

Jury Citation:

“Powless Day pulled me in with her command of language. This book has a lot to teach readers through Anishinaabe worldview on being a global citizen, on urban life, and in relationships with people and non-human beings. This book is a joy to read, intentional, punchy, and incisive. Powless, is courageous.  Her work crafts poems which challenge the hierarchy of the English language and colonial imposed policies of “Indian Status” and in the extended metaphor in “mocassin.” 

Individual poems deconstruct and mock colonial worldview while the collection gathers loss, hope, and reclamation.  Her poems are carefully crafted diction, line, while exploring form with which to express what the English language cannot.”

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Eight writers have received $500 each from the Indigenous Voices Awards: Kieran Kalls Rice, kit-xgwélemc kennedy, Michelle Poirier Brown, and Kennedy Willier for unpublished poetry; and Odette Auger, Dawn Dionne, Daly Quintal, and Cooper Skjeie for unpublished prose. As this year’s jury notes in their recipient feedback, these are up-and-coming writers to watch.

Finalists were also announced May 7, 2026 for this year’s awards recognizing exceptional published work by emerging Indigenous authors: Tracey Lindberg, Danica Roache, and Colin Wolf are finalists for published prose; and Tawahum Bige, Melinda Burns, and jaye simpson are finalists for published poetry. 

Citations below provided by the 2026 IVAs jurors.

2026 IVAs RECIPIENTS - UNPUBLISHED POETRY

Kieran Kalls Rice, “Clem Clem”
Snuneymuxw First Nation

“‘Clem Clem’ is an unforgettable journey through relation, identity, family, tradition, history, and place-making. This is glorious poetry.”

kit-xgwélemc kennedy, “nightingale” and other poems

Member of the St'uxwtéws (Bonaparte First Nation) Secwépemc

“Infused with a sharp, sly humour and rhythm crafted for the human voice, kit-xgwélemc’s poetry invites the reader into a space of quiet observation. It is both watchful and deeply reflective, grounded in an unwavering spirit of critical love and acceptance.”

Michelle Poirier Brown, “What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?”

Manitoba Métis Federation

“Moving through the conflicts of identity and the echoes of family stories, Michelle Poirier Brown captures the profound evolution of a soul coming into its own.”

Kennedy Willier, “I wanted to be a ceremony/cemetery”

nêhiyaw member of Sucker Creek First Nation (Treaty 8)

“Kennedy Willier's poetry is formally innovative and demands our full attention.”

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2026 IVAs RECIPIENTS - UNPUBLISHED PROSE

Odette Auger, “Eyebright”

Enrolled member of Sagamok Anishnawbek 

“‘Eyebright’ is told by Odette Auger’s main character: a mother and painter who is living in her painting studio in her family’s backyard. Augerʾs attention to sensual detail is reminiscent of the process of oil painting itself. We very much want to read the entire novel of which ‘Eyebright’ is a part—publishers, pay attention to this writer!”

Dawn Dionne, “The Paper Gown/The River Remembers”

Lil’Wat Nation, Mount Currie

“‘The Paper Gown/The River Remembers’ honours a devastating story through a strong, heart-rending piece, weaving together timelines, first-person storytelling, and auto-theory. In this compelling submission the jurors can see the work of healing through careful story-creation. One gets the sense that there is nothing extra—all that needed to be said is said, and that’s all.” 

Daly Quintal, “The Buffalo and The Raven”

Métis Nation of Alberta, Lac la Biche

“In ‘The Buffalo and The Raven,’ the title characters wander through a current timeline offering beautiful insights into our ways of relating. A deep reflection on what happens after we move on from our lives and physical bodies here on earth.” 

Cooper Skjeie, “Overexposure”

Métis Nation of Saskatchewan

“One of the more surprising stories of this year’s submissions, ‘Overexposure’ stands out for its wildly imaginative comedic and tragic turns alike. The pacing keeps up with the balance of humour and grief and the thoughtfulness of each story within the story. Cooper Skjeie takes us on a ride from the bottom of the Saskatchewan River to crossing oceans, and brings us into the minds of youth in unexpected ways. We will be keeping an eye out for works from this writer in the years to come.”

2026 IVAs FINALISTS - PUBLISHED PROSE

Tracey Lindberg, (art by George Littlechild,) The Cree Word for Love: Sâkihitowin (HarperCollins Canada)

Cree; As'in'î'wa'chî Ni'yaw Nation/Kelly Lake Cree Nation; Plains Cree

Danica Roache, Five Seasons of Charlie Francis (Nimbus Publishing/Vagrant Press)

Mixed-ancestry Mi’kmaw member of Glooscap First Nation

Colin Wolf, CoyWolf (Playwrights Canada Press)

Otipemisiwak (Métis Nation Alberta) citizen

2026 IVAs FINALISTS - PUBLISHED POETRY

Tawahum Bige, Stages of Tanning Words and Remembering Spells (Harbour Publishing)

Łutselk’e Dene / Cree / Métis

Melinda Burns, Homecoming (BookLand Press)

Lower Mohawk First Nation 

jaye simpson, a body more tolerable (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Oji-Cree Saulteaux

Support for the Indigenous Voices Awards is welcome through the Ontario Arts Foundation:

The IVAs logo is designed by Lou-ann Neel (Kwakwaka’wakw).

For images, interviews or more information please contact:

Katie Saunoris | KSPR
katiesaunoris@gmail.com