Margaret Atwood is the 1st woman and Canadian selected for Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship
Margaret Atwood will become the first woman and first Canadian to receive the Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship when she formally accepts it on Sept. 26, 2018 in Toronto.
Established in 2016 by Adrienne Clarkson, who served as Canada's Governor General from 1999 to 2005, the prize is given to a leader whose work has been dedicated to "belonging and inclusion."
"We want to honour this remarkable citizen of Canada for all she has done in her personal and professional life to make us aware that we are citizens of a country like Canada and of a planet that is our precious earth," said Clarkson in a press release.
"In her brilliant writing career and her personal activism locally, nationally and internationally, she is a dynamic force in the world today."
Atwood's advocacy and her award-winning work, such as The Handmaid's Tale, The Year of the Flood and Alias Grace, have shaped conversations around gender equality, censorship and environmental preservation. She has published more than 50 books across a range of genres, including fiction, poetry, essays, comics and children's books.
The previous recipients of the Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship are artist Ai Weiwei and His Highness The Aga Khan.
Atwood will receive a medal designed by sculptor Anna Williams.