Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award that is now open for submissions until April 10, 2023 @ 11:59 PM PST

Gratitude, honouring peers, and recognizing excellence are vital parts of building community. Verses Festival of Words | Vancouver Poetry House is pleased to continue the tradition of stewarding the Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award that is now open for submissions until April 10, 2023 @ 11:59 PM PST. Via online submission: https://forms.gle/9zqvXiU9ojCKhVDY7
 
The Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award was created to recognize community leaders who have gone over and above in the pursuit of honouring the national Spoken Word Community. Zaccheus was a prolific artist that went out of his way to help people feel welcome. Some of the qualities that are attributed to Zaccheus, and are the criteria for the recipients include:

● A welcoming spirit that reaches out to community members known and unknown 

● Courage on and off the stage 

● Good sportsmanship 

● A ferocious energy, one that graciously steers its way through adversity and transforms it into something beautiful and useful. 

● Someone who strives to build community even when that work is challenging. 

● The loudest person cheering in any room. Happy to celebrate others
● Real af 

● A mentor and guide to peers and youth. 

● Somebody who makes the world safer for other people

If you know someone deserving in the community, please consider nominating them today. Via online submission: https://forms.gle/9zqvXiU9ojCKhVDY7

Anyone is eligible, with the understanding that the award focuses on recognizing an individual who has has significant impact on the Canadian Spoken Word community either nationally or locally.

The award will be adjudicated by members of the Vancouver Poetry House team, founding members, past recipients, and in consultation with the Nyce Family. The award will be presented on April 29, 2023 at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Finale.

Past Recipients include: Erin Dingle, Johnny MacRae, Rusty Priske, Nang K’uulas, Sonya Littlejohn, Jeremy Loveday, RC Weslowski, Taran Kootenayoo, and Johnny Trinh.