The award for Best Personal Essay is new to the 2017 Digital Publishing Awards program, and our jury has nominated 10 outstanding pieces of personal journalism. The award honours the best overall story in which the writer’s perspective and/or personal experience is the main focus.
Out of this year’s nominees, we explore topics such as coming out to parents, queer mentorship and stories of transitioning, as well as personal tales of the grief associated with miscarriage and widowhood. Family dynamics & traditions, life with cancer, life after the Olympics and the passing of Leonard Cohen are also topics explored in this year’s nominees.
These stories take us on deeply personal journeys through important moments in these writers lives. We invite you to read their stories. Here are the 2017 Digital Publishing Awards nominees for Best Personal Essay:
A Grief Like This
Hazlitt
Chantal Braganza, Writer
Haley Cullingham, Editor
Brothers Under the Skin
The Globe and Mail
Niall McGee, Writer
Victor Dwyer, Editor
Family Circus
NUVO Magazine
Heather O’Neill, Writer
Adrienne Matei, Editor
Forgiving the Future
GUTS Magazine
Laura Shepherd, Writer
Natalie Childs, Editor
Have You Told Your Parents?
BuzzFeed Canada
Vivek Shraya, Writer
Scaachi Koul, Editor
How To Go On After Leonard Cohen
Maclean’s
Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, Writer
Adrian Lee, Editor
The Widowhood Effect
The Globe and Mail
Christina Frangou, Writer
Victor Dwyer & Lisan Jutras, Editors
There’s No Recipe For Growing Up
BuzzFeed Canada
Scaachi Koul, Writer
Rachel Sanders, Editor
When Queer Sexual Mentorship Comes in the Form of Cling Wrap
Daily Xtra
Katie Sly, Writer
Matthew DiMera, Editor
Contributors: Indiana Joel & Eternity Martis
When the Games Are Over
The Walrus
Thomas Hall, Writer
Katherine Laidlaw, Editor
The winners of the Best Personal Essay award will be announced at the Digital Publishing Awards Soirée on Thursday June 1, 2017 in Toronto. Tickets are now on sale. Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees!
Full list of 2017 nominees
Digital Publishing Awards Event Details
Purchase your tickets for #DPA17