Where is the France-Acadie Prize?

This prize, created in 1979, was managed by the French association Les Amitiés France-Acadie with the SNA as a partner representing Acadia.

Before 2023, the prize was awarded every year except 2016. At that time, there was an abstention because the board of directors had put in place a one-year moratorium in order to review its jury and the regulations.

Then, last year, the jury, based in France, did not award it, because it was dissatisfied with the selection presented. He said he wanted preserve the reputation of the Prize.

This declaration caused a strong reaction from the Acadian literary community at the end of November 2023. The SNAwho deplored the jury’s decision, immediately began consultations with stakeholders in the field.

We met Acadian publishing houses and certain authorsindicates Martin Théberge, president of the SNA. The result was that for reasons of values ​​and vision, this prize no longer met the needs of the literary sector in Acadia.

At the same time, the SNA began discussions with the Amitiés France-Acadie association in an attempt to review the award process, the selection criteria and the type of communication in place.

A conflict of value

In February 2024, the SNA formalized its withdrawal from the Prix France-Acadie.

Martin Théberge explains that the two parties were unable to agree on the evaluation criteria relating to language.

It was a question of value. The main element was mainly on the language. To the SNAwe want to promote all French expressions, no matter how they are.

If an author wanted to use any variation of Acadian speaking, we [la SNA] we wanted to promote it, because we really believe in itexplains Martin Théberge.

According to him, the France-Acadia French Friendships wanted to prioritize a French person qualified as correcteven, the French of the French Academy.

That’s where we couldn’t agree, and that was the end of his discussionshe decides.

A new prize coming for the SNA

In collaboration with its board of directors and stakeholders in the Acadian literary sector, the SNA believes that it is now time to create a literary prize that is fully representative of Acadian values ​​and culture.

We will get to work, in the coming weeks, for this purposeconfirms Martin Théberge. So yes, there will be another prize that will be created.

The creation of a new literary prize, which would link France and Acadia, is one of the main objectives of a common action plan of the SNA and the French consulate, finalized at the end of October 2024.

Les Amitiés France-Acadie will not be partners.

And special price returned to France

Following its withdrawal from the France-Acadie Prize in February, the SNA said he suggested to Amitiés France-Acadie to change the name of its prize, since, Acadia had withdrawn from the said prize.

We asked to think about the name to avoid ambiguity and false perceptionsspecifies Martin Théberge.

- contacted Alain Dubos, president of the Prix des Amitiés France-Acadie jury, who acknowledged receipt of the message and was unable to comment at the time of writing this article. However, he noted that he was open to dialogue, whatever it may be.

At the same time, author Vanessa Léger announced on her social media on November 23 that she was the recipient of the France-Acadie Friendship Prize.

This year it is a special prize, awarded by the Amitiés France-Acadie to all of my work, The warned tomes I, II et IIIsaid Vanessa Léger by email, to -. I didn’t expect it at all!

If the France-Acadie prize had not been awarded in 2023, a special mention had still been made by the jury to Vanessa Léger, for The heirs the third volume of his trilogy The Averti. The work could not compete for the prize at that time, since trilogies were not eligible for the competition.