Piché Prize for Poetry
(sponsored by the University of Quebec
at Trois Rivières)

Organization :

Festival International de la Poésie
1497, rue Laviolette, C.P. 335
Trois-Rivières (Québec) G9A 5G4
Telephone : (819) 379-9813 – fax : (819) 376-0774
Contact : Gaston Bellemare
Email : gaston.bellemare@fiptr.com

Origin of prize :

This award was established to encourage people of all ages, particularly those enrolled in creative writing workshops, to write poetry and to present their works at public readings. Named after Alphonse Piché, it will be awarded at the Maison de la Culture of Trois Rivières at the official opening ceremony of the 24^th  International Poetry Festival scheduled to take place in Trois Rivières from October 3^rd  to October11^th 2008.

Literary genre : Poetry

Prizes (in $CAN):

• 1^st Prize: $ 2000
• 2^nd Prize : $ 500
• Invitations to take part in the International Poetry Festival (valued at over $400) 

Rules :

The applicant must:

1. be a Canadian citizen.
2. be unpublished, and must not have a contract or promise of publication with a professonal publishing house.
3. submit three (3) copies of an unpublished series of 20 poems (one-sided, 25 pages maximum), typed, and doublespaced.
4. submit his / her poems in French only.Poèmes du lendemain
5. agree to allow his winning poem or poems to be published by Écrits des Forges in a book called .
6. send the manuscript on or before June 30, 2008, the postmark being regarded as proof of the date on which it was sent.
7. include a short biography with the application.
8. sign the poem using a pseudonym (An author may only submit one series of poems to the competition).
9. be sure to enclose his / her real name along with the biography in a sealed envelope clearly identified with the pseudonym. Manuscripts will not be returned.

Jury:

The jury will be composed of three members chosen annually by the Board of Directors of the Fondations Les Forges Inc.


Previous Winners:

2007 : Joanne Morency (Maria)
2006 : Annick Chauvette (Montréal)
2005 : Michèle Blanchet (Québec)
2004 : Huguette Lefrançois (Québec)
2003 : Patrick Boulanger (Trois-Rivières)
2002 : Andréa Raymond, (Ottawa)
2001 : Isabelle Forest ( Québec)
2000 : Monique Benoit ( Montréal)
1999 : Anne-Marie Cizeau-Lemercier (Québec)
1998 : Béatrice Migneault (Windsor)
1997 : Carl Lacharité  (Trois-Rivières)
1996 : Carole Huynh Guay ( Québec)
1995 : Dominique Gaucher  (Laval)
1994 : Micheline Boucher (Charlesbourg)
1993 : Martine Audet  (Montréal)
1992 : Louise-Anne Blouin ( Québec) 
1991 : Michel Pleau (Québec)
1990 : Aline Poulin (Sherbrooke)
1989 : Hélène Boissé (Sherbrooke)