On July 26, 2011, City Council approved a motion to establish a Calgary Poet Laureate position, funded by Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors from the private sector. Each Calgary Poet Laureate is appointed for a two-year term.

Calgary Arts Development administers the program, including:

• Appointing the selection committee.
• Collecting nominations.
• Managing marketing and publicity.
• Overseeing all finances related to the program.

The Calgary Poet Laureate program is funded by the Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors.  As of January 1, 2018, the Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors included:

• Calgary Foundation
• Calgary Chamber of Commerce
• Brookfield Residential

Nominees for Calgary Poet Laureate must meet the following criteria:

• Be a professionally published or presenting poet.
• Be a current resident of Calgary.
• Demonstrate an established career through their body of work, or have made significant contributions to their community regardless of career length.

The Calgary Poet Laureate is an ambassador of the arts to the citizens of Calgary. The Calgary Poet Laureate produces literary work that is reflective of Calgary’s landscape, cityscape, and civic identity and that may raise awareness of local issues.

The Calgary Poet Laureate is to perform the role outlined as follows:

• Compose and present poems for official City of Calgary occasions.
• Make public appearances as Calgary Poet Laureate either in Calgary or as an ambassador to other cities or countries.
• Make public presentations of their work at least twice a year.
• Send quarterly updates to Calgary Arts Development listing past and upcoming public appearances.
• Sit on the selection committee for the succeeding Calgary Poet Laureate.

The Calgary Poet Laureate receives an annual honorarium of $10,000, over a two-year term.

Nominations open on February 18, 2020. Self-nominations are accepted. If shortlisted for the award, nominees must agree to participate in an in-person interview and presentation of their work for the selection committee.

Nomination packages must include:

• A letter of nomination from the nominator (in the case of a self-nomination, a support of nomination letter written by a second party), including:
  • A brief description of the nominee’s contributions to the poetry or arts community.
  • A brief description of how the nominee has influenced their literary peers and/or other artists.
  • An explanation of why the nominee should be Calgary Poet Laureate.
• The nominee’s current curriculum vitae.
• One copy for each member of the selection committee of up to five (5) examples of the nominee’s work. If submitting electronically, one copy of each item will suffice. If submitting hard copies, the selection committee will require six (6) copies of each item, delivered to the Calgary Arts Development office (see address below). If submitting hard copy support material, please also upload a Word document or PDF indicating that hard copies will be provided by the deadline. Examples of work may include:
  • Published books
  • Literary anthologies, journals, magazines, chapbooks
  • Links to presentation videos or MP3s
  • CDs or DVDs
• A signed acknowledgment of nomination.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 20, 2020 at 4:30pm MST.

Following the successful submission of your nomination package, please deliver any hard copy support material to Calgary Arts Development by Monday, March 23, 2020 at 4:30pm MST.

Calgary Arts Development
Suite #501, 237 8th Ave. SE
Calgary, AB T2G 5C3
Attn: Calgary Poet Laureate Nominations

In light of COVID-19, be sure to let us know if you require more time to get your Calgary Poet Laureate nomination in.

Please reach out to Kaley Beisiegel as soon as possible at kaley.beisiegel@calgaryartsdevelopment.com. She will be in touch to coordinate how to receive support materials on a case-by-case basis. All materials and nominations must be received no later than 4:30pm on Friday, March 27, 2020.

The selection committee—appointed by Calgary Arts Development—is charged to review all nomination packages and select based on the criteria outlined above.

Following the nomination deadline, the selection committee reviews all applications and meets to discuss and shortlist nominees. Shortlisted nominees are invited to participate in an in-person interview and presentation of their work for the selection committee April 2 and 3, 2020. During these meetings, the selection committee assesses each nominee’s presenting skills and aspirations for the position.

Following the in-person interviews and presentations, the selection committee meets to select the Calgary Poet Laureate. The announcement of the 2020-2022 Calgary Poet Laureate will take place during National Poetry Month in April 2020.

Calgary Poet Laureate nominees are assessed based on the following criteria:

• Artistic Excellence: The quality and artistic merit of the nominee’s work.
• Impact: The nominee’s contribution to the Calgary poetry or arts community.
• Stature: The nominee’s reputation within their peer community.
• Community Connection*: The nominee’s presentation skills and aspirations for the position.

*This area is specifically for shortlisted nominees and is assessed during in-person interviews and presentations.

February 18, 2020: Nominations open
March 20, 2020: Nominations close
March 25, 2020: Selection committee reviews nomination packages and determines shortlist
March 26, 2020: Shortlist nominees notified and scheduled for in-person interviews and presentations
April 2 & 3, 2020: Shortlisted nominees in-person interviews and presentations
April 9, 2020: All nominees notified of final Poet Laureate decision
April 2020: Calgary Poet Laureate announced

Nominations open on February 20, 2020 and can be submitted using the form below.

Self-nominations are accepted. If shortlisted for the award, nominees must agree to participate in an in-person interview and presentation of their work for the selection committee and invited guests.

Thank you for your interest. Nominations are now closed.