The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self-published in the previous year."Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour" at The Canadian Encyclopedia. The silver medal, designed by sculptor Emanuel Hahn, is a tribute to well-known Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock (1869–1944) and is accompanied by a cash prize of . It is presented in the late spring or early summer each year, during a banquet ceremony in or near Leacock’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario.
The medal is one of the oldest literary prizes in Canada and is the only one awarded to a work of humour. It has been awarded every year since 1947 with the exception of 1959 when it was reported that no worthy entries had been submitted.Bourgeois-Doyle, Dick, What’s So Funny?: Lessons from Canada’s Leacock Medal for Humour Writing. General Store Publishing House, 2015. . p.57
History The Stephen Leacock Associates, the non-profit organising body behind the award, was founded in 1946 by a loose group of Leacock’s friends and supporters. Although administered and presented separately today, the award was announced as part of the Governor General's Awards in its early years."Prof. Lower's History Gets Vice-Regal Award". Winnipeg Tribune, April 19, 1947."Win Governor General's Awards in Annual Literary Contest". Ottawa Journal, June 11, 1949."Governor General's Awards Announced for Two Authors". Ottawa Journal, May 23, 1953.
Each year the Associates’ board of directors appoints a panel of suitable judges from around the country, and also commissions readers who rank and select from submitted works a long list of ten books, which is later narrowed to a short list of three books (previously five). The shortlist is typically announced in early May. In 1990, for the only time in the award's history they did not whittle the initial longlist down to a shortlist but simply announced a shortlist of ten books which were all considered for the final award."Long short-list for Leacock award". Toronto Star, April 3, 1990.
The cash prize began in 1970, as a $2,500 award co-sponsored by Manulife Insurance and the Hudson's Bay Company. The following decades saw gradual increases in the amount of the prize under a number of sponsors, reaching its current value of $15,000 in 2009, sponsored by the TD Bank Financial Group. As of 2018, both remaining shortlist authors each receive cash prizes of $3,000.
In 1969 the Associates established a quarterly newsletter called The Newspacket to commemorate the centenary of the author’s birth. The publication printed excerpts from nominated books and showcased Canadian humour writing. More recently, the Associates have communicated through its newsletter Leacock Matters.
In 1977 the group established an annual Student Award for Humour, which honours and encourages young Canadian writers from secondary and post-secondary levels with recognition and cash prizes for the top three.
Organization The Leacock Award is ceremonially led by a past winner or nominee, who holds the honorary title "Mayor of Mariposa"."Barwin takes home humour award". Orillia Packet and Times, June 10, 2017. The duties of this position include giving a speech at the awards ceremony, and representing the Leacock Foundation in other public appearances including McGill University's annual Leacock Lecture. Held by Dan Needles until 2018, the position was taken over by Drew Hayden Taylor in 2019 and renamed "Grand Chief of Mariposa" to reflect Taylor's First Nations heritage. Subsequently, the 2011 Leacock Medal winner Trevor Cole served as the Honorary Mayor for two years with the 1993 medalist John Levesque selected to assume the post in 2025.
The Medal
The medal, cast in silver and designed by Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn, is two inches (5.08 cm) in diameter and approximately 0.125 inches (.32 cm) thick. It weighs 3.125 ounces (88.59 g).
On the obverse is a profile of Stephen Leacock’s head and the dates of his lifespan (1869–1944). The words "Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal Founded 1946" are worked around the perimeter.
The reverse side features the words "Orillia “The Sunshine Town” Award for Canadian Humour". A jolly face represents the sun resting on waves, and the latitude and longitude of Orillia, Ontario, Canada, appear in small figures at the top. Two small fish swim beneath the waves, and two large mosquitoes are depicted — one on the sun, the other in the water. Below the design, there is room for the winner’s name and date to be inscribed, and below that a small maple leaf emblem.
Winners and nominees
1940s Year Writer Title Ref. 1947 Harry L. Symons Ojibway Melody 1948 Paul Hiebert Sarah Binks "Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour". Memorial University of Newfoundland Literary Awards in Canada 1923–2000. 1949 Angeline Hango Truthfully Yours
1950s Year Writer Title Ref. 1950 Earle Birney Turvey 1951 Eric Nicol The Roving I 1952 Jan Hilliard The Salt Box 1953 Lawrence Earl The Battle of Baltinglass 1954 Joan Walker Pardon My Parka 1955 Robertson Davies Leaven of Malice 1956 Eric Nicol Shall We Join the Ladies? 1957 Robert Thomas Allen The Grass Is Never Greener 1958 Eric Nicol Girdle Me a Globe 1959 No award given
1960s Year Writer Title Ref. 1960 Pierre Berton Just Add Water and Stir 1961 Norman Ward Mice in the Beer 1962 W. O. Mitchell Jake and the Kid 1963 Donald Jack Three Cheers for Me "Backstage". The Globe and Mail, May 10, 1980. 1964 Harry J. Boyle Homebrew and Patches 1965 Gregory Clark War Stories 1966 George Bain Nursery Rhymes to be Read Aloud by Young Parents with Old Children 1967 Richard J. Needham Needham's Inferno 1968 Max Ferguson And Now...Here's Max 1969 Stuart Trueman You're Only as Old as You Act
1970s Year Writer Title Ref. 1970 Farley Mowat The Boat Who Wouldn't Float 1971 Robert Thomas Allen Children, Wives and Other Wild Life 1972 Max Braithwaite The Night We Stole the Mountie's Car 1973 Donald Bell Saturday Night at the Bagel Factory 1974 Donald Jack That's Me in the Middle 1975 Morley Torgov A Good Place to Come From 1976 Harry J. Boyle The Luck of the Irish 1977 Ray Guy That Far Greater Bay 1978 Ernest Buckler Whirligig "Buckler win Leacock Award". The Globe and Mail, May 12, 1978. 1979 Sondra Gotlieb True Confections "Gotlieb wins humor award". The Globe and Mail, May 11, 1979.
1980s + Winners and shortlisted candidates of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour Year Writer Title Ref. 1980 Donald Jack Me Bandy, You Cissie 1981 Gary Lautens Take My Family...Please! "Physicians hold annual council". The Globe and Mail, May 8, 1981. 1982 Mervyn Huston Gophers Don't Pay Taxes "Leacock winner plays a shopworn theme". The Globe and Mail, May 13, 1982. 1983 Morley Torgov The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick "Torgov wins 1983 Leacock Medal". The Globe and Mail, April 29, 1983. Aislin Stretch Marks John Duffie Duffie's Unimportance of Being Earnest Allan Fotheringham Malice in Blunderland Stuart Trueman Don't Let Them Smell the Lobsters Cooking 1984 Gary Lautens No Sex Please...We're Married "Lautens wins award". The Globe and Mail, May 11, 1984. Donald Jack Me Too "Six finalists for Leacock Medal". The Globe and Mail, April 13, 1984. Eric Nicol Canadide Paul Quarrington Home Game Leon Rooke Shakespeare's Dog Paul St. Pierre Smith and Other Events 1985 Ted Allan Love Is a Long Shot "Montrealer Ted Allan wins Leacock award for 'Long Shot' novel". The Gazette, April 18, 1985. Joan Finnigan Laughing All the Way Home John MacLachlan Gray Dazzled! Don Lemna A Visit from Mr. Lucifer Ted Stone Hailstorms and Hoop Snakes Armin Wiebe The Salvation of Yasch Siemens 1986 Joey Slinger No Axe Too Small to Grind "The Star's Slinger wins humor award". Toronto Star, April 18, 1986. Charles Gordon The Governor General's Bunny Hop "Star's Slinger up for humor prize". Toronto Star, April 11, 1986. Sondra Gotlieb Wife Of... Ray Guy This Dear and Fine Country T. P. Millar Who's Afraid of Sigmund Freud Paul Quarrington The Life of Hope 1987 W. P. Kinsella The Fencepost Chronicles "B.C.'s Kinsella wins Leacock humor award". Toronto Star, April 24, 1987. Christie Blatchford Spectator Sports Alan Edmonds Living It Up and Down Allan Fotheringham Capitol Offenses Murray Malcolm Armchair Will: The Musings of a Man of Leisure Eric Nicol The U.S. or US? 1988 Paul Quarrington King Leary "Third time lucky for Leacock winner". Ottawa Citizen, April 29, 1988. Arthur Black Back to Black Lesley Choyce An Avalanche of Ocean Jack Hodgins The Honorary Patron Robin Skelton The Parrot Who Could 1989 Joseph Kertes Winter Tulips "Leacock award 'stuns' winner". Toronto Star, May 30, 1989. Christie Blatchford Close Encounters Alison Gordon The Dead Pull Hitter David McFadden A Trip Around Lake Ontario Edward O. Phillips Hope Springs Eternal Kent Thompson Married Love
1990s + Winners and shortlisted candidates of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour Year Writer Title Ref. 1990 W. O. Mitchell According to Jake and the Kid "Mitchell wins Leacock Award". Toronto Star, April 19, 1990. Arthur Black That Old Black Magic Don Hunter Spinner's Inlet W. P. Kinsella The Miss Hobbema Pageant Susan Musgrave Great Musgrave Dan Needles Letters from Wingfield Farm Eric Nicol Dickens of the Mounted Paul Quarrington Whale Music Paul St. Pierre Chilcotin and Beyond Larry Zolf Scorpions for Sale 1991 Howard White Writing in the Rain "Howard White wins Leacock". The Gazette, May 7, 1991. Maurice Henrie The Mandarin Syndrome Roy MacGregor Quantity Time W. O. Mitchell Roses Are Difficult Here Morley Torgov St. Fab's Day 1992 Roch Carrier Prayers of a Very Wise Child "Carrier's Prayers are answered with Leacock prize"]. The Gazette, April 29, 1992. Eliza Clark Miss You Like Crazy W. P. Kinsella Box Socials 1993 John Levesque Waiting for Aquarius "Hamilton writer wins Leacock humor award". Toronto Star, May 4, 1993. Margaret Atwood Good Bones Marni Jackson The Mother Zone Joey Slinger If It's a Jungle Out There, Why Do I Have to Mow the Lawn? 1994 Bill Richardson Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast "Richardson wins Leacock prize". Ottawa Citizen, April 26, 1994. Arthur Black Black by Popular Demand Charles Gordon How Not to Be Too Bad Peter Gzowski Canadian Living W. O. Mitchell The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon 1995 Josh Freed Fear of Frying and Other Fax of Life "Montreal writer wins humor award". Toronto Star, May 4, 1995. Aislin and Hubie Bauch Put Up or Shut Up Gail Anderson-Dargatz The Miss Hereford Stories Des Kennedy Wild About Gardening Susan Musgrave Musgrave Landing 1996 Marsha Boulton Letters from the Country "Broadcaster Boulton wins Leacock prize". Toronto Star, April 25, 1996. Allan Abel Flatbush Odyssey W. P. Kinsella The Winter Helen Dropped By Eve McBride Dandelions Help Bill Richardson Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast Pillow Book 1997 Arthur Black Black in the Saddle Again "Arthur Black wins award for humour: Radio host, author honoured for book". Ottawa Citizen, May 1, 1997. David Eddie Chump Change Des Kennedy The Garden Club Bill Richardson Bachelor Brothers' Bedside Companion Miriam Toews Summer of My Amazing Luck 1998 Mordecai Richler Barney's Version "Mordecai Richler wins Leacock humour award". The Globe and Mail, April 16, 1998. Paul Quarrington The Boy on the Back of the Turtle Sandra Shamas A Trilogy of Performances Carol Shields Larry's Party Antanas Sileika Buying on Time 1999 Stuart McLean Home from the Vinyl Cafe "McLean wins Leacock award". Calgary Herald, April 22, 1999. Wayne Johnston The Colony of Unrequited Dreams Sean Kane Virtual Freedom Robert Kroetsch The Man from the Creeks Pete McCormack Understanding Ken
2000s