The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self-published in the previous year. The silver medal, designed by sculptor Emanuel Hahn, is a tribute to well-known Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock (1869–1944) and is accompanied by a cash prize of . It is presented in the late spring or early summer each year, during a banquet ceremony in or near Leacock’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario.
History
The Stephen Leacock Associates, the non-profit organising body behind the award, 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, and also commissions readers who rank and select from submitted works a long list of ten books, which is later narrowed to a short list of three books (previously five). The shortlist is typically announced in early May. In 1990, for the only time in the award's history they did not whittle the initial longlist down to a shortlist but simply announced a shortlist of ten books which were all considered for the final award.
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 sponsors, reaching its current value of $15,000 in 2009, sponsored by the TD Bank Financial Group. The duties of this position include giving a speech at the awards ceremony, and representing the Leacock Foundation in other public appearances including McGill University's annual Leacock Lecture. Held by Dan Needles until 2018,
The Medal
The medal, cast in silver and designed by Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn, is two inches (5.08 cm) in diameter and approximately 0.125 inches (.32 cm) thick. It weighs 3.125 ounces (88.59 g).
On the obverse is a profile of Stephen Leacock’s head and the dates of his lifespan (1869–1944). The words "Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal Founded 1946" are worked around the perimeter.
The reverse side features the words "Orillia “The Sunshine Town” Award for Canadian Humour". A jolly face represents the sun resting on waves, and the latitude and longitude of Orillia, Ontario, Canada, appear in small figures at the top. Two small fish swim beneath the waves, and two large mosquitoes are depicted — one on the sun, the other in the water. Below the design, there is room for the winner’s name and date to be inscribed, and below that a small maple leaf emblem.
Winners and nominees
1940s
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!width=5%| Year
!width=45%| Writer
!width=45%| Title
!width=5%| Ref.
|-
! 1947
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Harry L. Symons
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Ojibway Melody
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
! 1949
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Angeline Hango
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Truthfully Yours
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
! 1964
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Harry J. Boyle
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Homebrew and Patches
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
! 1979
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Sondra Gotlieb
| style="background:lightyellow;"| True Confections
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|}
1980s
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Winners and shortlisted candidates of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour
|-
!width=5%| Year
!width=45%| Writer
!width=45%| Title
!width=5%| Ref.
|-
! 1980
| style="background:lightyellow;"" | Donald Jack
| style=background:lightyellow;"| Me Bandy, You Cissie
| style=background:lightyellow;"|
|-
! 1982
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Mervyn Huston
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Gophers Don't Pay Taxes
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
! rowspan="5" | 1983
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Morley Torgov
| style="background:lightyellow;"| The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Aislin
| Stretch Marks
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Donald Jack
| Me Too
| rowspan=5|
|-
| Eric Nicol
| Canadide
|-
| Paul Quarrington
| Home Game
|-
| Leon Rooke
| Shakespeare's Dog
|-
| Paul St. Pierre
| Smith and Other Events
|-
! rowspan="6" | 1985
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Ted Allan
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Love Is a Long Shot
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Joan Finnigan
| Laughing All the Way Home
| rowspan=5|
|-
| Charles Gordon
| The Governor General's Bunny Hop
| rowspan=5|
|-
| Sondra Gotlieb
| Wife Of...
|-
| Ray Guy
| This Dear and Fine Country
|-
| T. P. Millar
| Who's Afraid of Sigmund Freud
|-
| Paul Quarrington
| The Life of Hope
|-
! rowspan="6" | 1987
| style="background:lightyellow;" | W. P. Kinsella
| style="background:lightyellow;"| The Fencepost Chronicles
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Christie Blatchford
| Spectator Sports
| rowspan=5|
|-
| Arthur Black
| Back to Black
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Christie Blatchford
| Close Encounters
| rowspan=5|
|-
| Arthur Black
| That Old Black Magic
| rowspan= 9|
|-
| Maurice Henrie
| The Mandarin Syndrome
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Eliza Clark
| Miss You Like Crazy
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Margaret Atwood
| Good Bones
| rowspan=3|
|-
| Arthur Black
| Black by Popular Demand
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Aislin and Hubie Bauch
| Put Up or Shut Up
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Allan Abel
| Flatbush Odyssey
| rowspan=4|
|-
| David Eddie
| Chump Change
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Paul Quarrington
| The Boy on the Back of the Turtle
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Wayne Johnston
| The Colony of Unrequited Dreams
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Herb Curtis
| Luther Corhern's Salmon Camp Chronicles
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Linwood Barclay
| Last Resort
| rowspan=4|
|-
| David Arnason
| King Jerry
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson
| How to Be a Canadian (Even If You Already Are One)
|-
| Charles Gordon
| The Grim Pig
|-
| Bill Richardson
| Waiting for Gertrude
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2003
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Dan Needles
| style="background:lightyellow;"| With Axe and Flask: A History of Persephone Township From Pre-Cambrian Times to the Present
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Sondra Gotlieb
| Dogs, Houses, Gardens, Food and Other Addictions
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Ian McGillis
| A Tourist's Guide to Glengarry
|-
| Robert G. Nielsen
| Athlete's Foot, or How I Failed at Sports
|-
| Morley Torgov
| Stickler and Me
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2004
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Ian Ferguson
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Village of the Small Houses: A Memoir of Sorts
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Michel Basilières
| Black Bird
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Arthur Black
| Black and White and Read All Over
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Bob Collins
| Summer of Wonder
|-
| Susan Juby
| Miss Smithers
|-
| Gordon Kirkland
| Never Stand Behind a Loaded Horse
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2006
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Arthur Black
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Pitch Black
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Joe Campbell
| Take Me Out to the Ball Game
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Gordon Kirkland
| When My Mind Wanders It Brings Back Souvenirs
|-
| Dan Needles
| Wingfield's Hope: More Letters from Wingfield Farm
|-
| William Weintraub
| Crazy About Lili
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2007
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Stuart McLean
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Douglas Coupland
| jPod
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Des Kennedy
| The Passionate Gardener
|-
| Ryan Knighton
| Cockeyed
|-
| Neil McKinnon
| Tuckahoe Slidebottle
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2008
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Terry Fallis
| style="background:lightyellow;"| The Best Laid Plans
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Douglas Coupland
| The Gum Thief
| rowspan=4|
|-
| William Deverell
| Kill All the Judges
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Kathryn Borel
| Corked
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Glen Chilton
| The Curse of the Labrador Duck
|-
| Bill Conall
| The Rock in the Water
|-
| William Deverell
| Snow Job
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2011
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Trevor Cole
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Practical Jean
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Todd Babiak
| Toby: A Man
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Rupinder Gill
| On the Outside Looking Indian
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Susan Juby
| The Woefield Poultry Collective
|-
| Shari Lapena
| Happiness Economics
|-
| Robyn Michele Levy
| Most of Me
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2013
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Cassie Stocks
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Dance, Gladys, Dance
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Terry Fallis
| Up and Down
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Jonathan Goldstein
| I'll Seize the Day Tomorrow
|-
| Andrew Kaufman
| Born Weird
|-
| William Whitehead
| Words to Live By
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2014
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Bill Conall
| style="background:lightyellow;"| The Promised Land
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Arthur Black
| Fifty Shades of Black
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Aaron Bushkowsky
| Curtains for Roy
| rowspan=4|
|-
| Terry Fallis
| Poles Apart
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Sarah Mian
| When the Saints
|-
! rowspan="3" | 2017
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Gary Barwin
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Yiddish for Pirates
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Amy Jones
| We're All in This Together
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Laurie Gelman
| Class Mom
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Scaachi Koul
| One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
|-
! rowspan="3" | 2019
| style="background:lightyellow;" | Cathal Kelly
| style="background:lightyellow;"| Boy Wonders
| style="background:lightyellow;"|
|-
| Ali Bryan
| The Figgs
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Amy Spurway
| Crow
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Joseph Kertes
| Last Impressions
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Morgan Murray
| Dirty Birds
|- style="background:lightyellow;"
! rowspan="3" |2022
| Rick Mercer
| Talking to Canadians
|
|-
| Mark Critch
| An Embarrassment of Critches
|rowspan=2|
|-
| Dawn Dumont
| The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour
|- style="background:lightyellow;"
! rowspan="3" |2023
| Wayne Johnston
| Jennie's Boy
|
|-
| Susan Juby
| Mindful of Everything
|rowspan=2|
|-
| Zarqa Nawaz
| Jameela Green Ruins Everything
|- style="background:lightyellow;"
! rowspan="3" | 2024
| Patrick deWitt
| The Librarianist
|
|-
| Ali Bryan
| Coq
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Greg Kearney
| An Evening with Birdy O'Day
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Patricia J. Parsons
| We Came from Away
|}
References
External links
- Leacock Medal for Humour Website