Tony Nesca’s Poems and Photographs wins NYC Big Book Award distinction

Canadian author Tony Nesca’s Poems and Photographs was named a Distinguished Favorite at the NYC Big Book Awards in the Poetry-Nature, Place, and the Environment category. The recognition spotlights a gritty collection that pairs photography and verse around working-class life, urban landscapes and mortality.

Why it matters: - The award gives Tony Nesca’s collection national and international visibility in a crowded literary field. - The distinction highlights books that blend place-based writing, visual art and environment-focused themes. - The recognition may help expand readership for a work rooted in working-class experience and urban life.

What happened: - Tony Nesca’s Poems and Photographs was named a Distinguished Favorite in the Poetry-Nature, Place, and the Environment category at the NYC Big Book Awards. - The announcement was made Sept. 28, 2026, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. - The collection pairs full-color photography with rhythm-driven verse. - The book draws on Winnipeg and New York City as its visual and emotional settings.

The details: - The collection focuses on manual labor, memory, desire and mortality. - The book presents alleyways, late-night diners and overlooked urban spaces as sites of unexpected beauty. - Nesca described the work as poetry “born on the pavement” and rooted in “actual sweat, noise, and lived reality.” - Nesca said it was a profound honor for a New York-based award to recognize a book grounded in those places. - Nesca described the collection as “a wide-ranging, restless body of work... grounded in lived experience, unafraid of darkness, and alive to the strange beauty hiding in plain sight.” - The NYC Big Book Award is judged by a panel of publishers, writers, editors, librarians, booksellers and professional copywriters. - The awards program says it received submissions from around the world this year. - Entries came from the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Dubai, England, Germany, Ghana, Greece, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. - Submissions also came from cities including Auckland, Baltimore, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hollywood, Johannesburg, Manhattan Beach, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Sydney and West Palm Beach. - Publishers represented included Beacon Press, Berrett-Koehler, Casemate, Edinburgh University Press, Forbes Books, Kiplinger Books, NYU Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Rizzoli, Routledge, The White House Historical Association, University of California Press and Wiley. - Awards sponsor Gabby Olczak said the global list of authors was “amazing” and said she was excited to share the books with a worldwide readership.

Between the lines: - The win places Poems and Photographs in a category that treats urban streetscapes as part of the environment conversation, not just wilderness and landscape. - The project’s mix of image and text gives it a broader artistic lane than a standard poetry collection. - The judging mix suggests the award is designed to blend literary, retail and editorial perspectives.

What’s next: - The NYC Big Book Award list of winners and distinguished favorites is available at the awards website. - The awards dinner is scheduled for April 10, 2027, at BookCAMP. - BookCAMP is set for April 9-10, 2027, with recipients expected to receive awards on stage.