Saskatchewan-born Cassi Smith is the newest recipient of the $10,000 RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award.
Smith was selected for the honour by bestselling Estevan, Sask.-born author Ross King who was awarded the $25,000 RBC Taylor Prize last month.
King received the non-fiction award for "Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies," his biography on the famed French impressionist painter.
The RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award was created to recognize and assist a Canadian published author who is working on a significant writing project which is preferably – but not limited to – the literary non-fiction genre.
In addition to the cash prize, Smith will receive mentorship from King with the goal of progressing towards creating the first draft of her work.
Smith is currently working towards a masters of fine arts in writing at the University of Saskatchewan where she graduated in 2013 with a double major in political studies and English.