The Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize is open to Quebec-based spoken word artists, storytelling artists, and literary performance artists working primarily in English in any form of performative writing, including poetry, story, monologue, hip hop, dub, sound poetry, experimental or interdisciplinary work.
Launched in 2022 as the QWF Spoken Word Prize, the prize was renamed in 2023 in honour of Ian Ferrier, the founder and curator of the monthly Words & Music Show for 20 years.
2025
Winner
If Haitian Blood Were Oil
Math
The Itch
shortlisted
Innocence
Before He Was a Park
Snails
I Need to Write
The Stepmother (excerpt)
Jury
Joseph Dandurand
John David Hickey
El Jones
2024
Winner
“committing a dream / pawâkan Palestine”
“Congratulations”
“Memory Justice”
shortlisted
“Hater’s n Baiters: The Culture Collision”
Excerpts from “Reiterations”
“twenty-one”
“Please Don’t Tell Me”
Jury
Jason Camlot
Roen Higgins
Janice Jo Lee
2023
Winner
“Laughter in the Rain”
“All the Screams”
“Survival Mechanisms”
shortlisted
“Stalling”
“when the shame smokes”
“Ouff – The Land”
“Buying History”
“Out of Space”
Jury
Jillian Christmas
Kym Dominique-Ferguson
Sheri-D Wilson
2022
then known as The QWF Spoken Word PrizeWinner
“Odiama”
“Not in the Bike Commercial”
“Free Your Mind”
Special Thanks
