Yuri Ivan Rubinsky was a writer, software executive, and well known promoter of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), which was the basis for the now-ubiquitous XML. In Canada, he is probably best known as founding co-director of the influential Banff Publishing Workshop and for his work in applying technology to help visually impaired people. He died at age 43 on January 21, 1996, after suffering a massive and unexpected heart attack at his home in Toronto, Canada. The Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award was created posthumously in his memory.