Spotlight on the NLCU Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers

Newfoundland and Labrador is a treasure trove of literary talent. And you never know when the next Michael Crummey, Lisa Moore, Wayne Johnston or Sharon Bala will emerge. Since 2006, the Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers has been helping support and amplify local literary talent, providing a solid base from which to launch their careers.

Administered by WritersNL and sponsored by NLCU since 2011, the biennial award consists of a cash prize of $5,200, as well as $1,000 towards professional editing services for the winning manuscript, and a boatload of recognition.

"All publishers watch for the Fresh Fish long and shortlist to see who the new up-and-coming authors are on the scene. Many of the listed authors get their manuscripts published," says Jen Winsor, Executive Director WritersNL, noting that "24 of the 25 recognized writers in the Fresh Fish program have gone on to publish their manuscripts."

A crowd gathers at the Fluvarium for the 2022 Fresh Fish Awards.

The award has been a boon not only for the winning writers, but for runners-up as well, including Sharon Bala, who was a 2015 runner-up for her novel manuscript The Boat People, which was published by McClelland & Stewart in 2018. The bestselling novel also won the 2020 Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction; was a finalist for 2018 Canada Reads (CBC), the 2018 Amazon Canada First Novel Award, the 2019 Margaret and John Savage First Book Award and the 2019 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award; and was longlisted for the 2019 Aspen Words Literary Prize and the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award. Another great example is 2020 runner-up Carmella Gray-Cosgrove, who saw her short story collection, Nowadays and Lonelier, published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2022. She also won the 2021 BMO Winterset Award and made the 2022 NL Book Award fiction longlist.

We connected with NLCU's CEO Glenn Bolger to learn more about NLCU's support of the Fresh Fish Award, and their support of local arts in general (for which they were named ArtsNL’s Patron of the Arts in 2017).

Business & Arts NL: NLCU has been sponsoring the Fresh Fish Award since 2011. Why did NLCU decide to sponsor this award in the first place, supporting the literary arts in NL, and why does it continue to do so?

Glenn Bolger: Most writers, like most artists, do not write to become rich. They write because they are passionate about writing. To write a novel or a collection of poems or short stories or a script takes serious dedication and countless hours. It is a labour of love (and probably a lot of angst too). Those who work in the industry know how hard it can be for up-and-comers in these genres to get support. Usually literary writers do not get noticed or rewarded until they’ve reached the pinnacle – a book publication.

The NLCU Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers is, for many of these budding artists, a critical stepping stone to launch their literary careers. There are few awards of this calibre that are given to unpublished writers. And the proof is in the pudding; the vast majority of writers who have made the shortlist for this award have successfully gone on to publication. The vast majority! That alone is reason enough to continue sponsoring this award.

But it is also the writers themselves. When we meet them, they tell us just how much this award means to them. They are so grateful, not just for the monetary prize, but also for the positive affirmation that their work has merit. That is what this award does. And their gratitude is humbling for us, because these writers are so talented and so full of promise. If we play just a small part in helping them achieve their dreams, we are doing something right.

Winner of the 2022 Fresh Fish Award, Tia McLennan.

Business & Arts NL: How does this award sponsorship help cement NLCU’s commitment to community?

GB: Since the credit union’s establishment in 1957, NLCU has mirrored the best traits of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians: We are a team of friendly, helpful, and caring professionals who are proud of this land we call home. We have always supported our communities through partnerships, sponsorships, donations, acts of kindness, and volunteerism. So it is fair to say that our commitment to community has been cemented long before this award came around.

What this award does highlight is how well attuned we are to the needs of our communities, and that our reputation as an involved and giving organization precedes us.

Santiago Guzmán, who made the 2022 Fresh Fish Award shortlist, reads from his work.

Business & Arts NL: NLCU was named ArtsNL’s Patron of the Arts in 2017. Why is supporting the arts in NL in general something that’s important to NLCU and are there any ways or examples of how the arts have helped enhance the business?

GB: Imagine life without songs, without stories, without paintings or photographs, without theatre or dance... So much of who we are as a people is expressed through these arts. The arts are an intrinsic part of being human. The arts bring people together. And this province has been blessed with a surfeit of artistic talent. Of course we want to support them.

When NLCU sponsors a program or event, we do not look at the opportunity to see how it can enhance our business. Rather, we ask ourselves, does the sponsorship opportunity fit NLCU, our values and ethics? What will it bring to the community? How will it enhance the lives of those who live there? There are logistical considerations, too, because we try to provide sponsorships in each of the communities where we have locations and to support arts, culture, and sports in particular, though we are not afraid to colour outside the lines.

That being said, we do recognize that NLCU benefits because more people learn about who we are and what we do. As a sponsor, we get to strengthen existing relationships within our communities and make new ones. At NLCU, we place a high value on relationships. It is one of our core values.

Click here to learn more about the 2024 Fresh Fish Award and submission guidelines. (Submission deadline: April 1 at 5pm NST)