Poet Laureate of Prince Edward Island

The Poet Laureate of Prince Edward Island is a position appointed by the provincial government of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada.

Objectives and selection criteria
The objectives of the PEI Poet Laureate Program include: to celebrate PEI and its people; to raise the profile of PEI poets and poetry in general; to promote a higher standard of literacy; and to provide for the expression of culture and heritage through the literary arts.

To be eligible to be appointed Poet Laureate, a writer must be a poet of stature: Poetry in both French and English is considered, but age, sex, and ethnic background are not considered in making the appointment.
 * 1) a poet of stature who has published at least one volume of poetry in the preceding 10 years with a reputable publishing house, or whose body of work has brought honor to themselves and to PEI;
 * 2) a resident of PEI for at least the preceding five years.

History
The Poet Laureate Program was instituted in PEI in 2002. Poets Laureate since then include:
 * John Smith (2002-2004)
 * Frank Ledwell (2004-2007)
 * David Helwig (2008-2010)