Results of the "Echoes of Exclusion" poetry contest 2024
We were honoured to receive submissions from poets across Canada for the Chinese Canadian Museum’s inaugural poetry contest on the Chinese Exclusion Act. Out of the thirty-seven entries received that were written in English and Chinese, eleven were selected by the judging committee (Fiona Tinwei Lam, Yao Sweden Xiao, and Catherine Clement) to be on the shortlist.
Youth Category (Grade 12 or Over) Grand Prize:
Isabel Hernandez-Cheng 鄭依璇, “July First, Eyes Wide Open.”
Adult Category (Over 18) Grand Prize:
April Liu 劉詩源, “A Daughter in the Shadows (Guangzhou, 1938)”
Senior Category (Over 65) Grand Prize:
Fung Ling Feimo 馬鳳齡, “YEAR 101”
Runner Ups:
Gillian Sze 施吉蓮, “míng”
Danika Liu 刘丹妮, “We Will Not Follow”
Lulu Wang 王嘉璐, “Frozen”
Lillian Au, “A Paper Crane”
Jeremy Chu 徐恩国, “The Things You Call Me By”
Kyla Yang, “Paper(cuts)”
Honourable Mentions:
Lillian Au, “Transplant”
Jaylee Hamidi, “One is a Mirror Number”
We thank everyone who took the time to share their poetry with us and contribute to deepening understanding of the Chinese Exclusion Act, over one hundred years after this discriminatory law came into effect. All of the grand prize poems will be included in The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act’s curator Catherine Clement’s exhibition book that is slated for publication in May 2025. In addition, the entire shortlist will be published through Ricepaper Magazine in summer 2025. Keep an eye out for these exciting publications to read the works of these talented poets and stay tuned for future contests and programs at the Chinese Canadian Museum!