Book reviewing is an art that involves the engagement of the critic’s sensibility with the text. With the Critic’s Desk Award, Arc marks the importance that the thoughtful treatment of poetry holds in the evolution and wider appreciation of the genre.
Inaugurated in Arc’s 25th-anniversary year, the Critic’s Desk Award honours excellence in book reviewing. The Award is given annually to a feature review and to a brief review to have been published in Arc in the previous calendar year. The winners are chosen by a distinguished critic known for his or her contribution as a reviewer of poetry.
The prizes are $250 for the feature review and $100 for the brief review.
As all feature and brief reviews published in Arc or on the Arc website in a given calendar year are automatically included, entries are not required. Winners are announced in the first issue of the following year.