The Playwrights Guild of Canada has announced the winners of its 2023 Tom Hendry Awards, and two Vancouver-based artists took home major prizes.

Poet and theatre artist Lili Robinson won the John Palmer Award, which recognizes someone as an up-and-coming changemaker in Canadian theatre. Robinson’s work explores the intersections of queerness, socio-economic diversity, the Black diaspora, and femme identity; their debut play, Mx, won a handful of awards back in 2019.

Playwright Leanna Brodie received the Dorothy Lees-Blakey Theatre for Young Audiences Award along with her Quebec-based collaborator David Paquet. The award was given to them for their play The Weight of Ants, which follows two girls who decide to run for student-body president.

“The play gives voice to two singular characters who wield sharp humour and honesty in a powerful and poignant battle to right wrongs,” states the jury who chose the play as the winner.

The Tom Hendry Awards celebrate new Canadian theatre spanning seven writing categories and three special awards. It aims to champion indie, emerging, and diverse voices across the country.

“Playwrights weave worlds from words and entire universes from just quiet thoughts,” says Playwrights Guild of Canada board president Christopher Tolley in a statement. “The Tom Hendry Awards celebrate the magic they create—as we honor our playwrights from coast to coast to coast.”