FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, June 23, 2025—The Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada) has announced that Michel Chantal of Lévis, Québec, is the recipient of the 2025 Claudette Upton Scholarship.
First awarded in 2010, the scholarship is a $1,000 cash award intended to support continuing professional development in editing. The award was presented at Editors Canada’s online awards ceremony on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
The recipient of this year’s Claudette Upton Award is pursuing editing as a second career. In addition to working full time in the automotive industry, Michel Chantal is pursuing the Certificat en Révision professionnelle from Université Laval, the same institution where he earned his degree in Industrial Relations more than 30 years ago.
Editing is a journey of life-long education and could include areas such as accessibility, the proliferation of misinformation, collaboration and more. How do you envision this statement applying to the unfolding of your career as an editor?
This year’s essay question had students contemplating what a career in editing means to them in the face of evolving language, technology and communications. Drawing on his lived experience, Michel Chantal advocated for acceptance and wisdom in the face of new tools such as artificial intelligence (AI).
“A career in editing is an essential cog in an ever (r)evolving world,” he wrote. “Being 54 years old, I viewed AI’s arrival with a great deal of apprehension. It is clearly transforming our world. Rather than fighting it, we need to accept it and endeavour to use it wisely.”
“Language is constantly evolving, so ongoing training is crucial to staying competitive as an editor. This includes not only learning about language, but also how to use tools and resources to achieve one’s goals. Similarly, a doctor uses their otoscope to help them diagnose ear problems. They have learned how to use that tool and know its limitations. Today, they couldn’t do without it. They cannot, however, perform bypass surgery with that tool. It’s the same for my job. I’m learning to use the resources at my disposal and to respect their limits.”
He also drew parallels between his own journey of learning with the broader concepts of accessibility and inclusivity, from the small scale of discovering new words to questioning and searching for accuracy in writing, even when that requires the editor to completely rethink their approach.
“Writing and editing based on the reader’s experience leads to a comprehensive rethink, allowing the editor to achieve a result that’s accessible to everyone.”
Michel Chantal is also a dedicated community volunteer who understands the importance of promoting the collective’s well-being. The selection committee noted it was this unique combination of skills and challenges that made him stand out in a very qualified and talented pool of candidates. “As he embarks on his editorial career, Michel is living and embracing the journey of lifelong learning,” said the judges.
This year’s selection committee for the Claudette Upton Scholarship consisted of three respected Canadian editors.
Nancy Foran is a freelance copy editor, comparative editor, and proofreader of non-fiction based in Gatineau, Quebec. She is a longtime Editors Canada member and volunteer, having served on the Editors Toronto branch executive, as chair of the national volunteer relations committee, and as coordinator of the volunteer translation and editing group.
Peter Midgley is an editor, translator and writer from Edmonton. He writes and edits in English and Afrikaans. He is a past recipient of the Tom Fairley Award and of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta’s Lois Hole Award for Editorial Excellence. As a writer, he is a co-recipient of the IBBY/Asahi Award for Literacy Promotion and his adult writing has been shortlisted for the City of Edmonton Book Prize and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry.
Helena Ramsaroop (she/her) is an Indo-Guyanese Canadian freelance editor, book critic, and bioarchaeologist. She is an assistant editor for Augur Society and the recipient of the 2024 Claudette Upton Scholarship. Her book reviews have been published in Canthius, Strange Horizons and The Fiddlehead.
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About Editors Canada
The Claudette Upton Scholarship is an annual national award that recognizes a promising emerging editor. The award is named in memory of Claudette Reed Upton-Keeley, a gifted editor who loved the English language and was actively involved in social justice and environmental causes throughout her life. She is remembered for her wonderful sense of humour and her sharp mind.
Additional information about the Claudette Upton Scholarship is available on the Editors Canada website.
Editors Canada began in 1979 as the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada to promote and maintain high standards of editing. In 1994, the word “Freelance” was dropped to reflect the association’s expanding focus to serve both freelance and in-house editors. As Canada’s only national editorial association, it is the hub for members and affiliates, both salaried and freelance, who work in the corporate, technical, government, not-for-profit and publishing sectors. The association’s professional development programs and services include professional certification, an annual conference, seminars, webinars, and networking with other associations. Editors Canada has four regional branches: British Columbia; Toronto; Ottawa–Gatineau; and Quebec, as well as smaller branches (called twigs) in Atlantic Canada, Barrie, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton-Halton, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph and Manitoba.
Media contact
Michelle Ou (she/elle)
Senior Communications Manager
Editors Canada
communications@editors.ca