Just over three years after it announced that it was merging its Canadian and international poetry prizes into one annual award, the Griffin Poetry Prize is looking for feedback from the Canadian poetry community.

In a press release on April 2, prize founder and trustee Scott Griffin said he “recognize(s) that many poets within the Canadian poetry community have raised concerns about the current format of the Griffin Poetry Prize.”

The recently announced longlist for the 2026 prize stirred conversation and criticism because for the first time no Canadian poet or poet living in Canada was included on it.

Griffin said he is looking to hear “directly from the community.” An online form seeks feedback on the prize’s current format and recommendations for the prize’s future. Feedback is welcomed until April 25.

“All comments and recommendations will be reviewed, and the Griffin Poetry Prize will then host a Town Hall Meeting to be held in person in Toronto, and online, to discuss the feedback submitted,” the prize says.

The annual prize, established in 2000, was created with two different prizes for poetry: one for a Canadian poet and one for an international poet. When the prize was founded, the separate prize for Canadian poets was considered a way to raise the profile of Canadian poets and poetry on the international stage, something the board, after more than 20 years of the prize, said it felt was no longer as necessary.

In 2022, the prize announced it was merging its Canadian and international categories, resulting in one $130,000 prize. An additional award, the $10,000 Canadian First Book Award, was added to honour a debut poetry collection by a Canadian poet.