Call to Emerging Writers: John Fleming Award in Decorative Arts Writing

Deadline June 6, 2025 11:59 pm

Call to Emerging Writers: John Fleming Award in Decorative Arts Writing
Deadline: Friday, June 6, 2025, 11:59PM EST
The John Fleming Award honours his lasting contribution to Canadian decorative arts scholarship and writing.

This $1,000 annual juried award recognizes an exceptional example of magazine writing on decorative arts in Canada. Decorative arts are creative works, often of a practical or useful nature, produced by an artist, craftsman, or amateur, which have aesthetic, cultural, or historical value. 

The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs (CSDA/CCAD) publishes the article in Ornamentum magazine and on ornamentum.ca. Ornamentum critically addresses the aesthetics, meanings, traditions, and innovations of Canadian material culture in the areas of decorative arts and design for a general audience.

Eligibility

  1. Emerging writers, with fewer than five publications, are welcome to submit either an unpublished article or one published within the last two years.
  2. The article must address an aspect of decorative arts in Canada, appeal to a diverse readership through an accessible approach, and maintain a unique voice and literary excellence. 
  3. By submitting an article, the candidate accepts the terms of the competition and agrees to submit their text to Ornamentum for editing and publication.
  4. Previous John Fleming Award winners and CSDA/CCAD board members and staff are ineligible.

Submission Format

  1. Author’s name and contact information of phone number and email and mailing addresses
  2. Author’s current CV with list of publications.
  3. Magazine article of 1500-2500 words, in English or French.
  4. Submission must be in electronic format of doc, docx, or pdf; double-spaced, with captioned images. If applicable, citations must be in MLA format.
  5. Submit to: jfaward@ornamentum.ca

Selection Process

A jury of three professionals with diverse decorative arts expertise and geographical representation will evaluate submissions based on originality of the subject or approach, contribution to the field of decorative arts in Canada, accuracy, and writing style.

 

Contact CSDA/CCAD if you have questions or require additional information.

Download a PDF version of this information.

Help us promote this award! Download a copy of the promotional poster.

Ces renseignements sont disponibles en français.