Panorama Prize

Award nominations are an important part of championing authors and their careers, encouraging new writers and writing. Over the years, we’ve nominated many authors for external prizes such as the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize, Pushcart, Best American series and other awards and anthologies.

For some time, we’ve discussed introducing a Panorama Prize, whether this is a good idea and how we would go about such a thing—to have something that has value and not a cheap gimmick. Following a great year with many great authors and great work, we decided to run an initial 2024 accolade.

Late 2024, everyone on the masthead was asked to nominate one piece we’ve published during the calendar year. They were allowed to nominate literally anything from FIRE, CITIES, ECOLOGY whether poetry, short stories, interviews, or other. Nominees would automatically include work we’ve already put forward for other external prizes such as Pushcart.

All nominees were contacted and confirmed they would be happy to be considered for the prize and can now be seen below. The nominees have a range of experience. There are students as well as seasoned authors and university professors. There is also a diversity of work, tone, and genres.

Panorama’s Editors then went through a process of voting for work they think best represents what we’re trying to put out into the world, work that’s resonated with them, and they feel is particularly important/relevant.

Please now join us in congratulating the winners of the inaugural Panorama Prize below.

Panorama Prize 2024

1st, 2nd, and 3rd places go to Grace Loh Prasad, Devi S. Laskar, and Joelle Renstrom respectively. Honourable mentions have also been awarded to authors who placed just outside the top three, by the finest of margins—Jenny Boyar, Yoko Nogami, Samuel Autman, and Katrina Woznicki.

The works this year respond to a deep connection to others and place, the losses we face and ways we find to survive. There is an authenticity in the work championed by the Editors that continue to set the bar for the writing we publish in Panorama. Honest moments, humble experiences which define us as people and our unique selves, unique voices, and diversity of writing and form.

1st place
Dreaming in Diaspora — Grace Loh Prasad (USA)

2nd place
Haibun Self-Portrait — Devi S. Laskar (USA)

3rd place
Cemetery Conversations with My Dead Dad — Joelle Renstrom (Boston)

Honourable mentions
Don’t call us — Jenny Boyar (USA)
Dry Land Fishing — Yoko Nogami (USA/Japan)
In Salt Lake City, Everyone and Everything is Queer* — Samuel Autman (USA)
L.A. Cinemas: The City’s Real Houses of Worship — Katrina Woznicki (USA)

Nominees

Congratulations too to all nominees. Many Editors remarked that all work nominated deserved to win. Future editions of the Panorama Prize will have multiple categories so more works can be commended, with the goal to help more writers receive the recognition they deserve.

All nominees:

After Math
S.D. Dillon (USA)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-12-cities/cities-after-math/

Cemetery Conversations with My Dead Dad
Joelle Renstrom (Boston)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-12-cities/cities-cemetery-conversations-with-my-dead-dad/

Don’t call us
Jenny Boyar (USA)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-11-ecology/ecology-dont-call-us-tampa-bay-law-enforcement/

Dreaming in Diaspora
Grace Loh Prasad (USA)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-12-cities/cities-dreaming-in-diaspora/

Dry Land Fishing
Yoko Nogami (USA/Japan)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-12-cities/cities-dry-land-fishing/

Haibun Self-Portrait
Devi S. Laskar (USA)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-11-ecology/ecology-haibun-self-portrait/

How to Survive the Streets as a Girl in the Old Medina
Amira Laghzail (Morocco)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-12-cities/cities-how-to-survive-the-streets-as-a-girl-in-the-old-medina/

I Wake up in Istanbul
Rowan Tate (Romania)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-11-ecology/ecology-i-wake-up-in-istanbul/

In Salt Lake City, Everyone and Everything is Queer*
Samuel Autman (USA)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-12-cities/cities-in-salt-lake-city-everyone-and-everything-is-queer/

L.A. Cinemas: The City’s Real Houses of Worship
Katrina Woznicki (USA)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-12-cities/cities-l-a-cinemas-the-citys-real-houses-of-worship/

Not the Usual Crowd at Ft Mason
Thomas Dunn (USA)
https://panoramajournal.org/issues/issue-11-ecology/ecology-not-the-usual-crowd-at-fort-mason/