The annual prize was founded by John Gleed in honour of his late wife, the Canadian writer Danuta Gleed, whose favourite literary genre was short fiction, and is presented by The Writers' Union of Canada. The incomes of her One for the Chosen, a collection of short stories published posthumously in 1997 by BuschekBooks and released by Frances Itani and Susan Zettell, assist in funding the award.
The annual prize was established by John Gleed to commemorate his late wife, Canadian writer Danuta Gleed, who specialized in short fiction. The Writers' Union of Canada administers it, with financial support from the royalties earned from her posthumous collection, One for the Chosen, a book of short stories published in 1997 and released by BuschekBooks and Frances Itani and Susan Zettell.