Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
Encyclopedia
The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour (usually the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, or just the Stephen Leacock Award) is an annual literary award
presented to the best work of humorous literature
in English by a Canadian
writer. The award is a tribute to well-known Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock
(1869–1944), and is accompanied by a cash prize of $15,000 (CAD
). It is presented each year during a banquet ceremony in Leacock’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario
.
The Leacock Associates is the organising body behind the award, and was founded in 1946 by a loose group of Leacock’s friends and supporters. Each year the Associates’ board of directors
appoints a panel of suitable judges from around the country, who select from submitted works a short list
of five books. It is one of the oldest literary prizes in Canada, and is the only one awarded to a work of humour.
The cash prize began in 1970, as a $2,500 award co-sponsored by Manulife Insurance
and the Hudson's Bay Company
. The following decades saw gradual increases in the amount of the prize under a number of donors, reaching its current value of $10,000 in 2002, sponsored by the TD Bank Financial Group.
In 1969 the Associates established a quarterly newsletter called The Newspacket to commemorate the centenary of the author’s birth. The publication prints excerpts from nominated books, and is itself a showcase for Canadian humour writing. In 1977 the group established a Student Award for Humour, which honours young writers from secondary
and post-secondary
levels.
Literary award
A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
presented to the best work of humorous literature
Comic novel
A comic novel is a work of fiction in which the writer not only seeks to amuse the reader, but also to make the reader think about controversial issues, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative; sometimes, above all other considerations...
in English by a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
writer. The award is a tribute to well-known Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
(1869–1944), and is accompanied by a cash prize of $15,000 (CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
). It is presented each year during a banquet ceremony in Leacock’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
The Leacock Associates is the organising body behind the award, and was founded in 1946 by a loose group of Leacock’s friends and supporters. Each year the Associates’ board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
appoints a panel of suitable judges from around the country, who select from submitted works a short list
Short list
A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates . The length of short lists varies according to the context.-U.S...
of five books. It is one of the oldest literary prizes in Canada, and is the only one awarded to a work of humour.
The cash prize began in 1970, as a $2,500 award co-sponsored by Manulife Insurance
Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial Corporation , is a Canadian insurance company and financial services provider. Manulife Financial's global head office is located in Toronto, Canada and the Company has operations in 21 countries and territories worldwide.The Company operates in Canada and Asia through the brand...
and the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. The following decades saw gradual increases in the amount of the prize under a number of donors, reaching its current value of $10,000 in 2002, sponsored by the TD Bank Financial Group.
In 1969 the Associates established a quarterly newsletter called The Newspacket to commemorate the centenary of the author’s birth. The publication prints excerpts from nominated books, and is itself a showcase for Canadian humour writing. In 1977 the group established a Student Award for Humour, which honours young writers from secondary
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
and post-secondary
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
levels.
Winners
- 1947 - Harry L. Symons, Ojibway Melody
- 1948 - Paul HiebertPaul HiebertPaul Gerhardt Hiebert was a Canadian writer and humorist best known for his book Sarah Binks , which was awarded the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour in 1948. A sequel, Willows Revisited was published in 1967....
, Sarah BinksSarah BinksSarah Binks is the novel by University of Manitoba professor Paul Hiebert.The novel is a fake biography of "Sarah Binks", the "Sweet Songstress of Saskatchewan"... - 1949 - Angeline Hango, Truthfully Yours
- 1950 - Earle BirneyEarle BirneyEarle Alfred Birney, OC, FRSC was a distinguished Canadian poet and novelist, who twice won the Governor General's Award, Canada's top literary honor, for his poetry.-Life:...
, Turvey - 1951 - Eric NicolEric NicolEric Patrick Nicol was a Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper The Province...
, The Roving I - 1952 - Jan Hilliard, The Salt Box
- 1953 - Lawrence Earl, The Battle of Baltinglass
- 1954 - Joan Walker, Pardon My Parka
- 1955 - Robertson DaviesRobertson DaviesWilliam Robertson Davies, CC, OOnt, FRSC, FRSL was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best-known and most popular authors, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies is variously said to have gladly accepted for himself...
, Leaven of Malice - 1956 - Eric NicolEric NicolEric Patrick Nicol was a Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper The Province...
, Shall We Join The Ladies? - 1957 - Robert Thomas Allen, The Grass is Never Greener
- 1958 - Eric NicolEric NicolEric Patrick Nicol was a Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper The Province...
, Girdle Me A Globe - 1959 - No Award Given
- 1960 - Pierre BertonPierre BertonPierre Francis de Marigny Berton, was a noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist....
, Just Add Water and Stir - 1961 - Norman Ward, Mice in the Beer
- 1962 - W. O. MitchellW. O. MitchellWilliam Ormond Mitchell, PC, OC better known as W.O. Mitchell was a Canadian writer.-Early life and career:...
, Jake and the KidJake and the KidJake and the Kid is a collection of short stories by W. O. Mitchell, originally published in 1961. Many stories in the series appeared in Maclean's prior to the book's publication... - 1963 - Donald JackDonald JackDonald Lamont Jack was a Canadian novelist and playwright.He was born in Radcliffe, Bury, England and grew up in Britain, attending the well regarded Bury Grammar School and Marr College and later serving in the RAF in World War II .After the war he emigrated to Canada in 1951, and became a...
, Three Cheers for Me - 1964 - Harry J. BoyleHarry J. BoyleHarry Joseph Boyle was a Canadian broadcaster and writer.He began his career in media working for a local radio station during the 1930s and later as district editor for the Stratford Beacon Herald...
, Homebrew and Patches - 1965 - Gregory ClarkGreg Clark (journalist)Gregory Clark, OC, OBE, MC was a Canadian war veteran, journalist, and humorist.In 1967, he was made one of the initial Officers of the Order of Canada "for the humour which he has brought to his profession as a newspaper writer and radio commentator".Major Gregory Clark is buried in Mount...
, War Stories - 1966 - George BainGeorge Bain (journalist)George Charles Stewart Bain, OC was a Canadian journalist.Born in Toronto, Ontario, he started with the Toronto Telegram at the age of sixteen, eventually becoming a general reporter and City Hall reporter. During World War II, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a bomber pilot...
, Nursery Rhymes to be Read Aloud by Young Parents with Old Children - 1967 - Richard J. NeedhamRichard J. NeedhamRichard J. Needham was a Canadian humour columnist for The Globe and Mail.Many of his columns were collected in a variety of books, including The Garden of Needham and Needham's Inferno, which won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour in 1967.Needham also coined Mop and Pail and Grope and...
, Needham's Inferno - 1968 - Max FergusonMax FergusonMax Ferguson, OC is a Canadian radio personality and satirist, best known for his long-running programs Rawhide and The Max Ferguson Show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ....
, And Now...Here's Max - 1969 - Stuart Trueman, You're Only as Old as You Act
- 1970 - Farley MowatFarley MowatFarley McGill Mowat, , born May 12, 1921 is a conservationist and one of Canada's most widely-read authors.His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Canadian North, such as People of the...
, The Boat Who Wouldn't Float - 1971 - Robert Thomas Allen, Wives, Children and Other Wild Life
- 1972 - Max BraithwaiteMax BraithwaiteJohn Victor Maxwell Braithwaite was a Canadian novelist and non-fiction author.Braithwaite was born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan and spent his youth in a number of communities in that province...
, The Night We Stole the Mountie's Car - 1973 - Donald Bell, Saturday Night at the Bagel Factory
- 1974 - Donald JackDonald JackDonald Lamont Jack was a Canadian novelist and playwright.He was born in Radcliffe, Bury, England and grew up in Britain, attending the well regarded Bury Grammar School and Marr College and later serving in the RAF in World War II .After the war he emigrated to Canada in 1951, and became a...
, That's Me in the Middle - 1975 - Morley TorgovMorley TorgovMorley Torgov BA, LLB, DLitt is a Canadian novelist, humorist and lawyer. He remains a partner in the Toronto-based legal firm Olch, Torgov, Cohen LLP....
, A Good Place to Come From - 1976 - Harry J. BoyleHarry J. BoyleHarry Joseph Boyle was a Canadian broadcaster and writer.He began his career in media working for a local radio station during the 1930s and later as district editor for the Stratford Beacon Herald...
, The Luck of the Irish - 1977 - Ray GuyRay Guy (humorist)Ray Guy is a Newfoundland journalist and humourist, best known for his satirical newspaper and magazine columns.Ray Guy was born in Come By Chance, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, on 22 April 1939, to George Hynes and Alice Louise Guy, but was raised and schooled in Arnold's Cove , the community that...
, That Far Greater Bay - 1978 - Ernest Buckler, Whirligig
- 1979 - Sondra GotliebSondra GotliebSondra Gotlieb is a Canadian journalist and novelist who lives in Toronto, Ontario.She is married to Allan Gotlieb, former Canadian ambassador to the United States during the presidency of Ronald Reagan...
, True Confessions - 1980 - Donald JackDonald JackDonald Lamont Jack was a Canadian novelist and playwright.He was born in Radcliffe, Bury, England and grew up in Britain, attending the well regarded Bury Grammar School and Marr College and later serving in the RAF in World War II .After the war he emigrated to Canada in 1951, and became a...
, Me Bandy, You Cissie - 1981 - Gary LautensGary LautensGary Lautens was a Canadian humorist and newspaper columnist. He wrote for the Toronto Star from 1962 until his death....
, Take My Family...Please! - 1982 - Mervyn J. Huston, Gophers Don't Pay Taxes
- 1983 - Morley TorgovMorley TorgovMorley Torgov BA, LLB, DLitt is a Canadian novelist, humorist and lawyer. He remains a partner in the Toronto-based legal firm Olch, Torgov, Cohen LLP....
, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick - 1984 - Gary LautensGary LautensGary Lautens was a Canadian humorist and newspaper columnist. He wrote for the Toronto Star from 1962 until his death....
, No Sex Please...We're Married - 1985 - Ted AllanTed AllanTed Allan was a Jewish Canadian writer, several of whose books were made into motion pictures.Ted Allan was born in Montreal as Alan Herman. In the 1930s he fought against fascism in Spanish Civil War, along with another Canadian, Norman Bethune...
, Love is a Long Shot - 1986 - Joey SlingerJoey SlingerJoey Slinger is a Canadian journalist and author, particularly known as a long-standing humour columnist for the Toronto Star....
, No Axe too Small to Grind - 1987 - W.P. Kinsella, The Fencepost Chronicles
- 1988 - Paul QuarringtonPaul QuarringtonPaul Lewis Quarrington was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician and educator.-Background:...
, King LearyKing LearyKing Leary is a novel by Canadian humorist Paul Quarrington, published in 1987 by Doubleday Canada.-Plot introduction:The novel's protagonist is Percival "King" Leary, a legendary retired ice hockey player living in a smalltown nursing home, who is invited to Toronto by a young hotshot advertising... - 1989 - Joe Kertes, Winter Tulips
- 1990 - W.O. Mitchell, According to Jake and the Kid
- 1991 - Howard White, Writing in the Rain
- 1992 - Roch CarrierRoch CarrierRoch Carrier, OC is a Canadian novelist and author of "contes" . He is among the best known Quebec writers in English Canada....
, Prayers of a Very Wise Child - 1993 - Joseph Levesque, Waiting for Aquarius
- 1994 - Bill RichardsonBill Richardson (radio)Bill Richardson is a Canadian radio broadcaster and author.Richardson received his B.A. from the University of Winnipeg in 1976...
, Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast - 1995 - Josh Freed, Fear of Frying and other Fax of Life
- 1996 - Marsha Boulton, Letters from the Country
- 1997 - Arthur BlackArthur Black (humorist)Arthur Black is a Canadian humorist and radio personality, best known as the longtime host of Basic Black on CBC Radio...
, Black in the Saddle Again - 1998 - Mordecai RichlerMordecai RichlerMordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
, Barney's Version - 1999 - Stuart McLeanStuart McLeanAndrew Stuart McLean is a Canadian radio broadcaster, humourist and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio programme The Vinyl Cafe. He is often described as a "story-telling comic", though he has written many serious stories...
, Home from the Vinyl Cafe - 2000 - Arthur BlackArthur Black (humorist)Arthur Black is a Canadian humorist and radio personality, best known as the longtime host of Basic Black on CBC Radio...
, Black Tie and Tales - 2001 - Stuart McLeanStuart McLeanAndrew Stuart McLean is a Canadian radio broadcaster, humourist and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio programme The Vinyl Cafe. He is often described as a "story-telling comic", though he has written many serious stories...
, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged - 2002 - Will FergusonWill FergusonWilliam Stener "Will" Ferguson is a Canadian writer and novelist best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture....
, Generica - 2003 - Dan NeedlesDan NeedlesDan Needles is best known as the playwright behind the popular Wingfield Series which has played across Canada for many years. It was performed at the Stratford Festival of Canada and was aired, in part, on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation....
, With Axe and Flask: A History of Persephone Township From Pre-Cambrian Times to the Present - 2004 - Ian FergusonIan Ferguson (writer)Ian Ferguson is a Canadian author and playwright.He is the brother of journalist and author Will Ferguson, with whom he co-wrote the 2001 book How To Be A Canadian ....
, Village of the Small House: A Memoir of Sorts - 2005 - Will FergusonWill FergusonWilliam Stener "Will" Ferguson is a Canadian writer and novelist best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture....
, Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw - 2006 - Arthur BlackArthur Black (humorist)Arthur Black is a Canadian humorist and radio personality, best known as the longtime host of Basic Black on CBC Radio...
, Pitch Black - 2007 - Stuart McLeanStuart McLeanAndrew Stuart McLean is a Canadian radio broadcaster, humourist and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio programme The Vinyl Cafe. He is often described as a "story-telling comic", though he has written many serious stories...
, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe - 2008 - Terry FallisTerry FallisTerry Fallis is a Canadian writer and public relations consultant, whose debut novel The Best Laid Plans was awarded the Stephen Leacock Medal in 2008....
, The Best Laid Plans - 2009 - Mark Leiren-YoungMark Leiren-YoungMark Leiren-Young is a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, playwright and occasional performer in the comedy duo Local Anxiety. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Writing:...
, Never Shoot a Stampede Queen: A Rookie Reporter in the Cariboo Country - 2010 - Will FergusonWill FergusonWilliam Stener "Will" Ferguson is a Canadian writer and novelist best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture....
, Beyond Belfast: A 560-Mile Walk Across Northern Ireland on Sore Feet - 2011 - Trevor Cole, Practical Jean