First established in 2017 by Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies in partnership with Tlicho Dene author Richard Van Camp, the Kemosa Scholarship offers an opportunity for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers to obtain resources to help them complete the work on their writing – whether that be a novel, a collection of stories, poems, or whatever form their writing might take. The Scholarship is partially facilitated by the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.
Three cash scholarships are given out each year:
1st Place: $3000
2nd Place: $2000
3rd Place: $1000
This year, each honourable mention will also be receiving an honorarium of $250. All participants will also receive Writers’ Guild of Alberta membership, tickets to the Literary Awards Gala, and complementary registration to the WGA’s annual conference.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 9th Annual Kemosa Scholarship!
First Place: Ôhô Maskihkiwiskew (Tanya Cardinal)
Second Place: Chelsea Belcourt
Third Place: Sandra Lamouche
Honourable Mentions: Shelley Wiart and Shaylean Gladu
Thank you to all the applicants to the 9th Annual Kemosa Scholarship. We encourage those of you who were not selected to apply again, and invite any winners from more than 2 years to apply again as well.
1st Place: Ôhô Maskihkiwiskew (Tanya Cardinal)
Ôhô Maskihkiwiskew (Tanya Cardinal) is a Nehiyaw writer from Maskêkosihk (Enoch Cree Nation) with ties to Alexander First Nation and Kikino Métis Settlement on her father’s side. Her work moves between fiction and creative non-fiction, drawing inspiration from the real people and experiences that have shaped her life. Grounded in land, kinship, and memory, her storytelling honours the resilience and love within Indigenous communities. As a lifelong learner, she writes with a deep sense of responsibility to story as medicine, carrying forward ancestral knowledge while creating space for healing.
“As a Kemosa Scholarship enthusiast and adjudicator for many years, I have read numerous entries and can appreciate the effort needed for a busy mother to create an original, well-crafted piece of writing. You can imagine my delight when I opened Ms. Cardinal’s entry and was immediately drawn into the story. The characters and descriptions created a 3-D world I could step into, with all my senses engaged. As a Metis woman myself, I particularly liked that Louise, the runaway child protagonist, was Metis and Inuit, a combination seldom used in stories. The memories of her father and mother, including descriptions of Inuit food, made the story even more intriguing. That such a tragedy as Louise’s could easily be based in actual events made this a compelling read and I am thrilled that Ms. Cardinal’s extraordinary talent was recognised in this year’s Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Metis and Inuit Mothers Who Write.”
Chelsea Belcourt is a Métis/Coast Salish writer and academic, originally from Fort McMurray in Treaty 8 territory. She is pursuing her PhD in English at the University of Saskatchewan while raising her large family in Calgary, Alberta. Her creative focus is comedy script writing, and she has worked as a story editor and writer for numerous Indigenous comedies in development. Most recently, Chelsea collaborated with Siksika Elders, Roy Bear Chief and Hayden Melting Tallow on the upcoming stage play, Back to the Treaty, expected to run in 2027.
“Original and engaging, this script creatively blends past and present, inviting the reader on a journey from the very first page. Its confident tone and humor make it a genuine pleasure to read. This writer shows clear promise and it is exciting to imagine how this script will transform from page to stage.”
Sandra Lamouche is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation residing on the land of the Nitsitapi (Blackfoot people) of Southern Alberta. She is a champion hoop dancer, award-winning Indigenous educational leader, TEDx and keynote speaker, award winning children’s author, and storyteller. She received an M.A. researching Indigenous Dance and well-being. The hoop dance and its teachings of unity, balance, equality and interconnectedness of creation guides her work. This includes land based practices, environmental and climate related topics, wellness, and social justice issues including advocacy for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Residential School Survivors and their descendants, which directly impact her and her friends and family.
“What a fabulous voice. I can’t wait to read this as it becomes a novel.”
Shelley Wiart is a member of the North Slave Métis Alliance in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and is currently based in Calgary (Mohkinstsis). She graduated from Athabasca University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Great Distinction) and is completing a Master of Arts in Leadership at Royal Roads University. Shelley writes poetry and creative non-fiction stories and is the mother of three daughters.
Shaylean Gladu is a multifaceted artist of the Nêhiyawak people. As a poet and writer, she explores intergenerational trauma, indigenous worldviews, and resilience. Shaylean was awarded First Place in the regional poetry competition, Words in Motion (2025) with her poem, ‘Drymeat’. Her work has been published in Northword Magazine, and Words & Birds Wood Buffalo. As an artistic contributor, her design was printed on orange t-shirts by Bee Creative for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, proceeds donated to Nistawoyou Association Friendship Center. Currently, she is looking forward to a public speaking tour, organized by the Wood Buffalo Regional Library, promoting the literary arts to children and youth in rural indigenous communities. Shaylean presently lives (and freezes) in Fort McMurray, Alberta with her loving family.
We are so grateful to the Co-Sponsors of the Kemosa Scholarship:
As a Vietnamese immigrant to Canada, I am fascinated by the stories of this land and its people. In 2017, after speaking with renowned author Richard Van Camp and learning more about the struggles of Indigenous women, I was moved to found the Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Mothers Who Write.
As a writer and mother of three young children, I know how difficult it is to find time to write. Financial constraints can make this time even more difficult. Fortunately, I also work as a physician and therefore, I felt that I, in some way, could help my fellow aspiring writers focus on their creativity, to help give voice to Indigenous mothers who write.
Jeananne Kathol Kirwin lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and four children. Although she is a practicing lawyer and erstwhile sailor, her childhood dream to become a writer was rekindled during the sailing sabbatical that is the subject of her book Greetings from Cool Breezes/A Family’s Year Aboard (Borealis Press, 2005). That book won the Canadian Authors Association – Alberta Branch Exporting Alberta Award in 2006.
We would also like to thank our past and present Donors: