The Sally Manning Award for Aboriginal Creative Non-Fiction is Here

4 September 2015

Established in memory of Sally Manning.

This was is dedicated to helping strong indigenous voices tell their own true stories about the North, its land and its people.

Entry is open to anyone of Aboriginal descent, current or former residents of the Yukon, the NWT, Nunavut, Nunavik or Labrador. Entries can be from 1000 to 2500 words in length and should feature Northern themes. First prize is $1000 and publication in an issue of Up Here, Second prize is $500. Third prize is $250.

Submissions deadline is December 31, 2015. Send entries to sallymanningaward@uphere.ca, or mail them to The Sally Manning Awards c/o Up Here Magazine, Suite 800 4920-52nd Street, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 3T1. For more information click here or see the details below.

The Sally Manning Memorial Writing Fund was established to provide support to Aboriginal and First Nations writers. Click here for information on Sally Manning Memorial Writing Fund scholarship recipients from prior years

Prerequisites

To be eligible, individuals must be of First Nations, Inuit or Metis background and a current or former resident of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon or Nunavut.

Call for Submissions

Up Here Publishing and the Yellowknife Community Foundation will seek applications each year that funds are available to award a grant.
The request for submissions will be published in Up Here Magazine in a spring issue, and entries will close September 30 each year.
Judging will take place between October and November and awards will be announced in December.
Up Here Publishing will screen all entries and create a short list of those eligible to receive the award(s) and then forward these submissions to the judging committee,
The judging committee will:
1. Review the short list of applications.
2. Select a successful story (up to three).
3. Recommend the ranking of award winners to the Grants Committee of the Yellowknife Community Foundation
4. Participate in the scholarship announcement.
Once the successful applicants have been selected, an announcement will be made by Up Here Publishing and the Yellowknife Community Foundation.

Review

Applicants will be assessed on the following criteria:

Stories considered to be “creative non-fiction” are eligible.
The judges, who are recognized and published writers and/or journalists, will make the recommendation on the award(s) to Up Here Publishing and the YCF based on their best judgement.
This program is aimed at emerging writers. Writers considered to be established by Up Here or the judges may have their submissions rejected.
At the discretion of the judging committee, or Up Here Publishing, submissions determined to be offensive or inappropriate may be rejected.
Stories should be typed and printed and submitted on paper by regular mail to Up Here Magazine at the company’s Yellowknife address. E-mail or faxed entries are not acceptable.
Stories must be written in English, be original and unpublished.
Stories should be written on computer or typewriter, double spaced and no more than 2500 words in length. Total word count must be indicated on the front page of the manuscript.
The author must not be identified on the manuscript. Name, address, telephone number and e-mail address should be provided on a separate sheet of paper, together with the title of the story.
A brief biography of the writer, no more than 50 words, should accompany the story on a separate sheet of paper.
Such other materials as the YCF may require.

Applicants

Are eligible to apply for an award in successive years; however, previous receipt does not guarantee future awards.
Must sign a form releasing the award program, the judges and Up Here Publishing of all liability in connection with the award. Winners must agree to allow their stories to be published together with his/her photograph and a brief biographical sketch, without compensation beyond the Sally Manning Award
Only one story can be submitted for judging by any one individual in a single year.
Winners must agree to submit a personal social insurance number and a photograph of him/herself to accompany the published story.

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Impact Story - Skate North -...

July 29, 2026

The Yellowknife Small Grants Program offers micro-grants of up to $1,000 for individual residents of Yellowknife, Ndilǫ, and Dettah to bring the community together and help make it better. The first ever batch of grants was awarded in Fall 2025 to eight community members, including Forrest Doctor for his ongoing project, Skate North.

The initiative aims to make skateboarding more accessible to youth by providing safe skate spaces, equipment, and mentorship.

” I want to encourage youth to commit to their passions, take initiative, and create positive change. For me, that means creating a safe space for learners, something I didn’t have when I first started. This project is about keeping skateboarding alive in the NWT and giving our youth the support and opportunities they deserve.” – excerpt from Forrest’s proposal

Forrest used the grant to purchase helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards to give away to up-and-coming skaters. Through free prize draws, in-person outreach, and open calls on social media, Forrest was able to get gear directly into the hands of youth who need it the most.

Forrest Doctor giving away gear at the miniramp in Ndilǫ. The ramp was constructed in Spring 2026 as part of a Skate North wordworking workshop, delivered in partnership with the YKDFN Dechı̨ta Nàowo Training Center.

Matt Wolff from Rumor Boardshop in Edmonton, AB.
The skate shop is an ardent supporter and partner to the Skate North project.

Donate to the Fund

The results of this direct access model were both immediate and unexpected. Two things stand out especially. First, Forrest noticed that new skaters were able to instantly start with confidence. Having proper safety gear in place meant they were free to try things as many times as they wanted. That ability to iterate safely creates a level of early learning and progression that is invaluable.

Second, the degree of engagement from youth, families, and the larger community was uplifting. Skate North has now grown through additional volunteers, sponsors, and partners, including local schools. It shows that there is a strong demand for skateboarding and action sports overall. Now an olympic sport, the old cultural stigmas attached to skating have faded away. All that remains is a desire to get out there and rip.

Forrest partnered with Rumor Boardshop in Edmonton, AB to acquire the gear at a discounted rate. Shop rep Matt Wolff had this to say on the impact of skating and initiatives like Skate North:

“Especially in smaller communities, skateboarding can be a huge outlet for youth, not only physically, but to express themselves artistically as well. It also brings a real sense of community for people. I grew up in a small town in the middle of Alberta, and the people I skateboarded with I still have friendships with to this day.”

We can’t wait to see a new generation of skaters come up and grow the local scene in the North. Keep rolling.