Ryerson Fiction Award

The Ryerson Fiction Award, also known as the All-Canada Prize, was a Canadian literary award, presented irregularly between 1942 and 1960. Presented by Ryerson Press,^[1] the award was given to an unpublished manuscript by a new or emerging writer, which was then published by Ryerson Press,^[2] and the prize consisted of $1,000 of which $500 was an advance on royalties.^[1]

Although it was considered one of the major Canadian literary awards in its era, few of the winning novels remain well-remembered today.^[2] Only five titles which won the award ever went on to a subsequent paperback reprint,^[2] with Edward McCourt's Music at the Close the only title that was selected for McClelland & Stewart's New Canadian Library reprint series in the 1970s.^[2]

Statistics

Two works, G. Herbert Sallans' Little Man and Philip Child's Mr. Ames Against Time, won both the Ryerson Fiction Prize and the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction in the same year; one other writer, Laura Salverson, won both awards for different works. Three writers — Child, Will R. Bird and Gladys Taylor — won the award twice, although both of Bird's wins and one of Child's were in ties with other writers.

Winners

• 1942 – G. Herbert Sallans, Little Man^[3]
• 1943 – no award^[4]
• 1944 – no award
• 1945 – (tie) Will R. Bird, Here Stays Good Yorkshire and Philip Child, Day of Wrath
• 1946 – no award
• 1947 – (tie) Edward McCourt, Music at the Close and Will R. Bird, Judgment Glen
• 1948 – no award
• 1949 – Philip Child, Mr. Ames Against Time^[5]
• 1950 – Jeann Beattie, Blaze of Noon^[6]
• 1951 – no award
• 1952 – no award
• 1953 – Evelyn M. Richardson, Desired Haven^[7]
• 1954 – Laura Salverson, Immortal Rock^[1]
• 1955 – no award
• 1956 – Gladys Taylor, Pine Roots^[8]
• 1957 – Joan Walker, Repent at Leisure^[9]
• 1958 – Gladys Taylor, The King Tree
• 1959 – Arthur G. Storey, Prairie Harvest^[10]
• 1960 – E. M. Granger Bennett, Short of the Glory^[11]

References