10th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write
The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is pleased to announce that the 10th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write will open September 1, 2026. You can read about last year’s winners here.
First established in 2017 by Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies in partnership with Tlicho Dene author Richard Van Camp, the Kemosa Scholarship offers an opportunity for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers to obtain resources to help them complete the work on their writing – whether that be a novel, a collection of stories, poems, or whatever form their writing might take.
There is no fee to submit to the Kemosa Scholarship.
Award
Three winners will be selected by an independent jury. The prizes are:
- First Place ($3000)
- Second Place ($2000)
- Third Place ($1000)
Deadline: December 1, 2026
*Please Note: The deadline has been moved to December 1, 2026 instead of mid-December as it has been in past years.
Submission Guidelines
If you are an emerging First Nations, Métis or Inuit writer and mother living in Alberta and are interested in applying for the Kemosa Scholarship please submit the following:
1. A sample of your writing (no more than 15 pages) — either prose, poetry, nonfiction, fiction and/or illustrated literature, e.g. graphic novel, comic, etc.
2. A cover letter describing why the scholarship is important for you.
Eligibility: Previous winners of the Kemosa may resubmit as long as they have not won a scholarship within the past 24 months (this would include the 8th and 9th Kemosa Scholarship winners).
For more information or media inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].
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We are so grateful to the Co-Sponsors:
Nhung Tran-Davies
Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies passed away in May, 2026 but her legacy is continued by her husband, Dr. Grant Davies.
As a Vietnamese immigrant to Canada, Nhung was fascinated by the stories of this land and its people. In 2017, after speaking with renowned author Richard Van Camp and learning more about the struggles of Indigenous women, Nhung was moved to found the Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Mothers Who Write.
As a writer and mother of three young children, Nhung knew how difficult it is to find time to write. Financial constraints can make this time even more difficult. Fortunately, Nhung had also worked as a physician and therefore felt that she could, in some way, help her fellow aspiring writers focus on their creativity, to help give voice to Indigenous mothers who write.
Jeananne Kathol Kirwin
Jeananne Kathol Kirwin lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and four children. Although she is a practicing lawyer and erstwhile sailor, her childhood dream to become a writer was rekindled during the sailing sabbatical that is the subject of her book Greetings from Cool Breezes/A Family’s Year Aboard (Borealis Press, 2005). That book won the Canadian Authors Association – Alberta Branch Exporting Alberta Award in 2006.
And to our Donors:
Trudy Grienauer
Jacqueline Guest
Jennifer Delisle
Carol Holmes
Audrey Whitson
DONATE TO THE KEMOSA SCHOLARSHIP
