Canadian writers Lee Maracle and Hoa Nguyen have been nominated for the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature, dubbed the “American Nobel.”

The $50,000 award, administered by World Literature Today and the University of Oklahoma, is presented every two years to a poet, novelist, or playwright in recognition of their body of work.

Maracle, a member of the Stö:lo Nation, is a Vancouver-born storied author, poet, artist, and activist, whose recent work includes the essay collection My Conversations with Canadians and Hope Matters, a literary collaboration with her daughters Columpa Bobb and Tania Carter. Maracle was nominated for the Neustadt by Winnipeg author Katherena Vermette.

Vietnamese-American poet Hoa Nguyen, who has lived in Canada since 2011, is the author of several collections of poetry, including As Long As Trees Last, Red Juice, and Violet Energy Ingots, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Griffin Prize. Nguyen was nominated by American author Vi Khi Nao.

The finalists were selected by a jury of creative writers. The winner will be announced Oct. 16 at the 2019 Neustadt Lit Fest.