There are announcements that make you smile, and then there are those that confirm you’re exactly where you need to be.
Canadian writers Meredith Hambrock, Susin Nielsen, and Mark Waddell have just made the shortlist for the 2026 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. With a $25,000 purse, this isn’t just an award—it’s a national institution, honouring the legacy of humourist Stephen Leacock since 1947.
Meredith is in the running for her razor-sharp novel, She’s A Lamb!. It follows Jessamyn St. Germain, an actor fueled by the absolute certainty that she is destined for superstardom.The novel is also a brilliant homage to The Sound of Music—the exact show Jessamyn is dying to star in at a Vancouver theatre. While the world might see her as delusional, the book tracks her relentless quest, brilliantly exposing the sheer depths she’ll sink to for her shot.
It’s incisively funny, wildly smart, and the momentum doesn’t stop on the page. The book is already slated for a feature film adaptation by 4am Film Studios, with the screenplay adapted by none other than Meredith herself. Talk about total creative control.
Meredith is a novelist and television writer. She’s no stranger to the literary spotlight—her story You Should Go Over There was longlisted for the 2016 CBC Short Story Prize, and she’s also the author of the novel Other People’s Secrets.
Come June, the finalists will be flown out to Orillia, Ontario—the lakeside town that hosted Leacock’s summer estate. The winner will be announced live at a big event right there on the grounds.
Between now and takeoff, Meredith is tackling some very important prep: hitting the shops to curate the perfect wardrobe, and figuring out exactly which excerpts she wants to read to the crowd.
We can’t wait to see how this plays out. Stay tuned.
See the review in the Literary Review of Canada (Crushing It).