Prix du Québec

Prix du Québec

In 1922, Athanase David, then secretary of the Province of Québec, created 2 prizes to recognize and encourage the work of Québec writers and scientists. The David Prize was created for literature and the Scientific Prize for research. The Québec government increased the number of prizes to 5 in 1977, and added 5 other prizes from 1980 to 1997, to better represent the diversity of cultural, social and scientific life in the province. The 10 Prix du Québec are awarded in the fall of each year to Canadian citizens who live or have lived in Québec. The prizes cannot be awarded posthumously, nor can they be shared. Each laureate receives $30 000, a parchment and a silver medal, created exclusively by a Québec artist. The names and categories of current prizes are Athanase-David, for literature; Marie-Victorin, for natural sciences; Léon-Guérin, for social sciences; Paul-Émile-Bourduas, for visual arts; Denise-Pelletier, for theatrical arts; Albert-Tessier, for cinema; Gérard-Morisset, for national heritage; Georges-Émile-Lapalme, for the advancement of the French language; Wilder-Penfield for biomedial sciences; and Armand-Frappier, for advancement of research or the promotion of science and technology.