Inspirations

Established in 1986, the Archibald Lampman Award for Poetry was inspired by Archibald Lampman, Canada’s finest 19th century poet. Born in 1861, Lampman graduated from Trinity College (Toronto) in 1882, and then moved to Ottawa where he worked for the Post Office until his death in 1899. He is known for his ability to immerse metaphysics in the details of nature, which he observed while hiking round what was then the wilderness capital of a new country. His books include Among the Millet (1888), Lyrics of Earth (1895) and the posthumous Alcyone (1900).

Duncan Campbell Scott would leave a two-sided legacy on a national scale, one side significant to the development of Canadian culture and the other a scar on Canada as a nation. Born in Ottawa in 1862, Scott was a leader of the influential group of “Confederation Poets” who comprised the first flowering of Canadian literature, especially poetry, in the late nineteenth century. He was also the deputy superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs whose policy of cultural assimilation led to the creation of Residential Schools for aboriginal children. Scott’s perceptions of aboriginal peoples chain these legacies together at the level of ideas; these ideas were made part of our literary tradition during a formative period for our national culture, and so to forget either side of Scott’s legacy would be a dangerous act of erasure. For all its other qualities, Scott’s poetry remains an important reminder of the ideas that led the country down one of its most tragic paths.

Scott was born in Ottawa in 1862, and died there in 1947. He had a 53-year career in the civil service and was a tireless contributor to the cultural life of the national capital. Lampman wrote of reading, in 1881, Roberts’ first volume, Orion and Other Poems (1880) and being inspired to become a poet. Subsequently Lampman convinced his friend Scott to write poetry. The two remained fast friends, frequently taking wilderness trips together, till Lampman’s early death in 1899 from complications associated with the rheumatic fever he’d contracted in boyhood. Scott suffered much guilt because Lampman had lapsed into his final illness following one of their trips. Scott became Lampman’s literary executor, and his tireless labours in this role were instrumental in keeping his friend’s poetry alive.

The Lampman-Scott Poetry Award is a fitting tribute to the intertwined lives and accomplishments of these two makers of local, national, and international culture.

Submission Details for the 4th annual Lampman-Scott Award

The Arc Poetry Society is accepting submissions for the 2010 Lampman-Scott Award for Poetry. Named after the 19th-century Confederation poets, Archibald Lampman and Duncan Campbell Scott, the award recognizes an outstanding book of English-language poetry by an author living in the National Capital Region.

• Eligible entries are English-language books of poetry published between January and December 2009 by a recognized publisher.
• Eligible books must be no less that 48 pages in length.
• The contest is open to residents of the National Capital Region.
• Prize: $1500

Send four copies of eligible books to:

Lampman-Scott Award for Poetry
Arc: Canada’s National Poetry Magazine
P.O. Box 81060
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1P 1B1

The 3rd annual Lampman-Scott Award, 2009

Winner: David O’Meara for his book Noble Gas, Penny Black (Brick, 2008))
Judges: Sandy Shreve of Vancouver, Mark Abley of Pointe-Claire, QC, and Meredith Quartermain of Vancouver

The 2nd annual Lampman-Scott Award, 2008

Winner: Shane Rhodes for his book The Bindery (NeWest, 2007))
Jurors: Michael de Beyer of Fredericton, Alison Pick of Toronto, and Harold Rhenisch of Campbell River, BC

The inaugural Lampman-Scott Award, 2007

Winner: Monty Reid for his book Disappointment Island (Chaudiere Books)
Honourable Mention: Sylvia Adams for her book Sleeping on the Moon (Hagios Press)
Jurors: Sue Sinclair, Steve Guppy and Tonja Gunvaldsen Klaassen
(view press release)

See winners of the former Archibald Lampman Award.