The MWC is pleased to once again partner with the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction to award a scholarship to a woman/non-binary North American Indigenous writer. This award welcomes and encourages submissions by transgender women authors and recognizes trans women as women without qualification. This award includes full tuition, room/board, and a travel stipend (up to $1000).

The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is proud to present the five distinguished writers on our 2026 Prize Jury

These renowned authors, teachers, and mentors each have a deep commitment to exceptional fiction by women and non-binary writers in the United States and Canada. 2026 Prize Jury.

Help us continue our work of supporting women and non-binary writers in the United States and Canada.

Diaspora Dialogues and The Carol Shields Prize Foundation are delighted to announce the renewal of The Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship at Diaspora Dialogues, a $10,000 opportunity for a woman or non-binary BIPOC writer who is a refugee or new immigrant to Canada.

We are deeply grateful to the M.A. Faris Foundation for supporting this Fellowship.

Shields Prize authors at the 2025 Vancouver Writers Fest, including our 2025 Winner, Canisia Lubrin, who was a guest curator this year, and Sarah Manguso, a 2025 Finalist.

We had a wonderful time celebrating 2025 Carol Shields Prize Winner Canisia Lubrin’s The World After Rain.

Canisia took the stage for a reading and conversation with acclaimed author Souvankham Thammavongsa following readings from the RBC / PEN Canada New Voices Award 2025 Winners, Georgio Russell & Anna Sokolova.

Ugochi Okoli is the 2025 Carol Shields Prize Foundation Fellowship at Diaspora Dialogues recipient. We asked Ugochi some questions about her transforming experience with the mentorship program. Learn more about the fellowship on our programs page.

In a new initiative, the 2025 Shields Prize Finalists and the Winner were invited to participate in a group retreat residency in the Leighton Artist Studios at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. Learn more about their experience. Visit our programs page.

Join us for a special literary evening celebrating the forthcoming book The World After Rain by acclaimed poet, editor, and novelist Canisia Lubrin in conversation with Souvankham Thammavongsa in Toronto.

K-Ming Chang is the 2025 recipient of he Carol Shields Prize Foundation Scholarship and Residency at Banff Centre. We asked K-Ming some questions after her life-changing experience at the residency. Learn more about the scholarship and previous recipients on our programs page.

Shields Prize Co-Founder Susan Swan, C.M. and her partner, acclaimed editor Patrick Crean, C.M. were in Ottawa with family for their Order of Canada investiture ceremony.

My Panelli is the 2025 recipient of The Carol Shields Prize Foundation Scholarship for Indigenous Women and Non-Binary Writers. We asked My some questions after their transformative experience at the workshop. Read the full Q+A on our website. Learn more about the scholarship and previous recipients on our programs page.

Are you passionate about literary fiction and keen to support women and non-binary writers? The Carol Shields Prize Foundation seeks a self-motivated team player with an interest in books and publishing to join our small but mighty team for the summer.

Reporting to the CEO, and working closely with the Program and Operations Manager and the Marketing and Development Coordinator,  this summer position will collaborate with staff on a wide range of marketing, communications and fundraising tasks to promote the work of women and non-binary writers and increase our base of support – a great opportunity to gain experience working on a small team at a charity with large goals!

June 2: Carol Shields would have turned 90 today. We are proud to continue her legacy of uplifting women’s writing and stories.

Chicago, IL — Canisia Lubrin has been named the winner of the 2025 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her book Code Noir, published by Knopf Canada/Soft Skull Press. The award, which provides $150,000USD to the winner, is the largest English-language literary prize in the world for women and non-binary authors.

April 26 is Independent Bookstore Day! Consider supporting on of The Carol Shields Prize’s partner stores in Canada and the United States.

30 years ago, on April 19, 1995, Carol Shields won the Pulitzer Prize for The Stone Diaries.

Three decades later, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, created to recognize and uplift the best works in fiction by women and non-binary writers in the United States and Canada, is proud to continue her legacy.

The 2025 shortlisted authors are Dominique Fortier (Pale Shadows, translated by Rhonda Mullins), Miranda July (All Fours), Canisia Lubrin (Code Noir), Sarah Manguso (Liars), and Aube Rey Lescure (River East, River West).

The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction’s longlist includes 15 unforgettable works of fiction by women writers in the U.S. and Canada, spanning novels, short story collections, and fiction in translation.

The shortlist will be revealed on April 3.