Excellence Recognized -- RBC Taylor Prize Concludes

TORONTO, Nov. 21, 2019 /CNW/ - After twenty years, the Charles Taylor Foundation is bringing the RBC Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction to a close with the final awarding in March 2, 2020.

The Prize was conceived as a testament to the late Charles Taylor's appreciation of the art of non-fiction writing. The outline and form of the Prize developed from Noreen and Charles Taylor's ongoing discussions about the importance of strong non-fiction writing in the development of both critical thinking and civil discourse. As an author and journalist, Charles strongly believed that Canadians would benefit from reading and contemplating the work of their non-fiction authors — a genre that at the time was so often overlooked in bestseller lists, in retail, and in the hearts and minds of Canadians.

Since the initial awarding in 2000, the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction — subsequently renamed the RBC Taylor Prize — has seen its finalists and winners become a virtual Who's Who of non-fiction writing.

Over the last few years, it has become apparent that the original mandate of the Foundation has been more than fulfilled. Accordingly, Noreen Taylor, her co-trustees on the Charles Taylor Foundation, and RBC Wealth Management undertook an in-depth analysis of the changed landscape of Canadian literary non-fiction. They found that, in the 20 years since the Prize's founding, this branch of literature had developed into a major component of Canadian publishing. To wit, a record 155 eligible books have been submitted for the 2020 Prize.

"RBC Wealth Management is honoured to have partnered with the Charles Taylor Foundation and supported its efforts in the promotion of Canadian literary non-fiction for more than a decade," says Vijay Parmar, President, RBC PH&N Investment Counsel and a Taylor Foundation board member. "As the Prize wraps up, we share the Board's sentiment that the genre is well-established in Canada."

Noreen Taylor and the Charles Taylor Foundation will mark the twentieth anniversary and final RBC Taylor Prize by celebrating all past laureates at a special dinner in advance of the 2020 RBC Taylor Prize gala luncheon on Monday March 2, 2020. These writers are the individuals who changed the nature of what Canadians read, and they deserve to be recognized once again for their role in changing the Canadian literary landscape.

Noreen Taylor explains, "It became clear last year that we had achieved every goal Charles and I set out. I'm so proud of what we have accomplished together. With winners, finalists, Emerging Writers, and, more recently, the Mentorship program, we have collectively touched the lives of more than 100 writers in this country. While I know that there are huge changes on the horizon for writers, publishers, and the platforms they use to communicate their stories, I am confident that the current interest in well-written Canadian non-fiction will continue to sustain and engage its readership.

View the video overview of the RBC Taylor Prize with Prize founder Noreen Taylor: https://youtu.be/trv11xfJTIs

For an image of Charles Taylor and an image of Noreen discussing the achievements of the prize, go to www.rbctaylorprize.ca/images/rbctp_concludes_high_res.zip

Our thanks to CNW Group for sponsoring this announcement.

SOURCE RBC Taylor Prize

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