From humble beginnings in rural Ontario to the editor’s chair at the Winnipeg Free Press, John W. Dafoe spent over 40 years shaping Canadian thought and policy. A fierce advocate for national sovereignty, free trade, and principled journalism, Dafoe stood firm, even when it meant defying political allies or public opinion. His words influenced prime ministers, challenged empires, and helped define Canada’s place in the world. More than a journalist, he was a builder of modern Canada. Learn more about J.W. Dafoe’s life and work here.
Honouring his legacy, the J.W. Dafoe Foundation annually awards a book prize, graduate fellowship, paper prize, and student writing award.
Dafoe Book Prize
The J.W. Dafoe Book Prize is awarded to the best book on Canada, Canadians, and/or Canada’s place in the world published in the previous calendar year. The Prize memorializes John Wesley Dafoe, one of the most significant Canadian editors of the 20th century. In his tenure at the Manitoba Free Press, later renamed the Winnipeg Free Press, from 1901- 1944, Dafoe was known for his advocacy of western development, free trade, national independence, and the Commonwealth.
Graduate Fellowship
In honour of John Wesley Dafoe, the J.W. Dafoe Foundation offers an annual, non-renewable fellowship valued at $10,000 to encourage graduate study in international relations and to further international understanding. The purpose of the fellowship is to support scholarship and research on any issue in the field of international relations and/or international comparative studies.
Paper Prize
In honour of John Wesley Dafoe, the J.W. Dafoe Foundation offers $1,000 annually to a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in any year of their studies who has demonstrated outstanding research and writing ability and whose written work is of publishable or potentially publishable quality. The purpose of the Award is to support scholarship and research on any issue in the field of Canada on the world stage, or of Western Canada.
Winnipeg Press Club Dafoe Writing Award
This award recognizes early career journalists and celebrates the skill of translating and condensing important news events and issues into persuasive and incisive columns or features that would be suitable for publication on the op-ed and commentary pages/websites of mainstream media.
In honour of J.W. Dafoe, the Winnipeg Press Club and the J.W. Dafoe Foundation are offering a $1,000 award to a full-time student in a Manitoban post-secondary program who has written and published a concise and persuasive commentary on a political or policy issue in a campus or community newspaper in the previous year (12 months) who was enrolled in their program of studies at the time of publication.