Dominican writer and documentary producer Zephrine Royer has won the 2026 BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean, the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival (BCLF) announced on Saturday. Royer received the award for her short story «River Mouth», a work that adds to Dominica's growing presence in Caribbean letters.
The Elizabeth Nunez Award is named for the Trinidadian-American novelist and is presented by the BCLF, a New York-based organisation dedicated to celebrating Caribbean literature and its writers. The prize recognises outstanding short fiction by writers from the Caribbean region, and Royer's selection places her among a new generation of Dominican voices gaining attention beyond the island.
Royer is known in Dominica as a documentary producer, a role that has given her a keen eye for narrative and the lives of ordinary people. Her win is being welcomed as a significant moment for the Nature Isle's cultural community, which has long punched above its weight in music, oral tradition and the arts. The recognition of a Dominican writer on a regional platform underscores the depth of storytelling talent emerging from the island.
The BCLF has become an important fixture in the Caribbean literary calendar, drawing submissions from across the region and the diaspora. Its awards spotlight writers who explore Caribbean experience in fresh and authentic ways. For Dominica, Royer's success is expected to encourage other writers and creatives to pursue their craft and to seek opportunities beyond local shores.
Details of the award ceremony and the full shortlist were not immediately available, but the announcement has already sparked congratulatory messages from fellow writers and cultural advocates. The win is a reminder that Dominican stories, rooted in the island's landscapes and communities, resonate widely when given a platform.
Royer's achievement comes as Dominica continues to invest in its cultural industries, from Carnival and Creole heritage to literature and the performing arts. Her recognition abroad is likely to be celebrated at home as a point of national pride and as evidence that the island's creative sector can compete at the highest levels.
