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Congratulations to Laura MacGregor, a recent graduate of the Writer’s Studio creative writing program, who has won the 2025 CBC Nonfiction Prize. The annual literary prize includes $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, plus a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Selected out of more than 1,300 entries, the winning story, “,” shares MacGregor’s experience over two decades of caring for a son who lived with profound disabilities until his death in 2020. The piece was described by the prize jury as “a moving, complex and lyrical exploration of what it means to mother a medically fragile child into adulthood.”

MacGregor, who lives in Waterloo, Ontario, is the author of several academic articles and co-editor of a book to be published next year. She says the win came as a complete surprise: “This was supposed to be an easy rejection. I never expected to list, much less win.”

She adds that it’s hard to explain exactly what the prize means to her. “Honestly, I’m still overwhelmed and struggling to believe it,” she says. “Mostly, though, the win helps me claim the title of writer. Had you asked me in the past, I would have said I write as a hobby.”

MacGregor had enrolled in the Writer’s Studio following her son’s death. “Writing had become a form of coping, a way to manage the chaos and grief via the page,” she explains.

“I wanted to learn more,” she adds.  “Finding a community of supportive people who helped me learn craft was wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of my time with TWS.”