Benefits
2018 FRANK HEGYI AWARD FOR EMERGING AUTHORS
The 2018 Frank Hegyi Award List of Submissions


2018 Frank Hegyi Award Winner Sharon Butala

2017 Frank Hegyi Award Winner Emma Hooper
Click below
We at the Ottawa Independent Writers (OIW) are pleased to sponsor an annual literary award for emerging authors. Named after long-time OIW member and former treasurer, Frank Hegyi, the award carries a cash prize of $500 for the winner and two years of free OIW membership. Finalists receive a year's free membership in the OIW. The Frank Hegyi Award is offered on an annual basis and alternates between fiction and non-fiction.
2018 Award
The 2018 award was for non-fiction. Information on the 2017 award for fiction can be found here. In 2019, the award will again be for fiction and in 2020 for non-fiction. The 2018 award was open to all Canadian citizens living anywhere or permanent residents of Canada or authors of any nationality whose submitted books had been first published by a Canadian publisher, and who had not already won a major national or provincial literary award. Click here for the list of awards identified for exclusion from eligibility for the Frank Hegyi Award.
Twenty-five submissions were received from five publishers and four independent authors. The full list of submissions follows the text below.
The 2018 jurors were Michael Mirolla, Gerry Fostaty and Michael Springate, all distinguished Canadian writers.
Eligibility
Eligible books for this year's prize were written by a single author in English and published between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. This year's award was for works of non-fiction that tell engaging stories about real people. The submissions were judged on their literary merit, not on the quality of research. Works of creative non-fiction were also eligible this year, provided that the main characters in the books were identified by their real names. Academic studies were not considered for this year's award. The entry fee was $25 per book for full and associate members of the Ottawa Independent Writers and $50 for non-members.
Important Dates for the 2018 Award
March 15, 2018 – Final Date for Submission to the Award
August 15, 2018 – Announcement of Long List
September 7, 2018 – Announcement of the Short List
September 26, 2018 – Award Ceremony (at the OIW Gala at the KPMG 18th floor boardrooms, 150, Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario)
Entry Fee Payment Options and Other Conditions
Cheques or money orders made out to the Ottawa Independent Writers were preferred, but authors and publishers could also pay by credit cards. Authors and publishers could also pay by PayPal by clicking the appropriate button below. Writers outside of Ottawa-Gatineau could opt for associate membership ($30 a year) to qualify for the $25 but had to do so before submitting their books. Authors were allowed to submit more than one book, but the same entry fee had to be paid for each submitted book. Four copies of each book (print only - no e-books or unpublished manuscripts), the entry form (click here to download form) and payment were required by March 15, 2018. All submissions were sent to:
Ottawa Independent Writers
(Frank Hegyi Award)
Postal Box 39016
Ottawa, Ontario
K1H 1A1