Finalists to be honoured the evening of November 10 at Cabaret Lion d’Or
The Quebec Writers’ Federation is delighted to announce the finalists for the 2024 carte blanche Prize!
Sponsored by Mark Gallop, the carte blanche Prize is awarded once a year in recognition of an outstanding submission to QWF’s flagship literary journal, carte blanche, by a Quebec writer, artist, or translator. Winners receive a cash prize of $500 and a unique trophy—“The Lori”—created by Montreal artist Glen LeMesurier. The other two finalists will receive $200 and $150, respectively, for second and third place.
The winner will be announced at the 2025 QWF Literary Awards Gala on Monday, November 10 at Cabaret Lion d’Or. The ceremony will begin at 8:00 p.m., preceded by a cocktail reception from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The 2025 carte blanche Prize Finalists
Madi Haab
“heart made of bees”
(Poetry)
Issue 51, 2025
Madi Haab is a queer and neurodivergent writer and poet of Moroccan descent. She draws from her mixed cultural heritage and identities to explore the liminal and interstitial, and her work has appeared in Augur Magazine, Haven Speculative, Brins d’éternité, and more. When not writing, she likes to sketch, sing, and play video games.
Nat Kishchuk
“Trulie, Toronto, and the Southwest Swale”
(Fiction)
Issue 52, 2025
Nat Kishchuk’s stories, mainly speculative fiction and creative non-fiction, have appeared in Pulp Literature, Femspec, Luna Station Quarterly, carte blanche Issue 43, and yolk literary, among others. Originally from what is now called Saskatchewan, she is grateful to live and work in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal: unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka).
Anthony Portulese
“The Stars of Saint-Léonard”
(Fiction)
Issue 52, 2025
Anthony Portulese (he/him) is an emerging queer Italo-Québécois writer from and living in Montreal. He graduated from McGill’s Faculty of Law in 2021. His writings have since been published in Maisonneuve, Accenti, Panoram Italia, and numerous anthologies. He just finished the manuscript for his first novel, a story of love, family, politics, and what it means to be Québécois in today’s Quebec.
The 2025 carte blanche Juror
Maria Shamis Turner
Writer, editor, and collage artist Maria Schamis Turner was a co-founder and the first editor-in-chief of carte blanche. Her book The Life and Design of Frédéric Le ShoeShoe was launched in March 2025; original images from the book were exhibited this fall at the Kolaj Institute in New Orleans.
The 2025 QWF Awards Gala
The winner of the 2025 carte blanche Prize will be announced at the 2025 QWF Awards Gala on Monday, November 10.
The gala will also unveil the winners of the 2025 QWF Literary Awards in fiction, non-fiction, first book, translation, poetry, spoken word, and children’s and young adult literature. The winner of the 2025 QWF College Writers Award will also be revealed, and Jan Draper will be honoured as the recipient of the 2024 Judy Mappin Community Award.
The gala is open to the public, but tickets have now sold out. A cocktail reception will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 8 p.m. The ceremony will be recorded and published on our YouTube channel.
The theme of this year’s gala is “Literary Greats.” Attendees are invited to get in the spirit of the theme by dressing as their favourite author or literary character. Don your Holmes-inspired deerstalker or a black trilby à la Leonard Cohen. Come dressed as Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, or Oscar Wilde. Come as you are, or as Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts. We want to see who inspires you.
Media Inquiries:
John Wickham, Communications Officer
(819) 319-9210
john@qwf.org