The Canada Council for the Arts has revealed the finalists for the 2026 Governor General's Literary Awards, which honor excellence in Canadian literature in both English and French. This prestigious award celebrates works published over the past year across seven categories, recognizing the efforts of writers, translators, and illustrators who enhance the literary fabric of Canada.
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Michelle Chawla, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, remarked on the significance of the awards, emphasizing their role in highlighting the diversity and creativity within Canadian storytelling over the past 90 years.
Finalist selections were made following a thorough peer-assessment process. The awards cover literature, translation, and illustration, underscoring the rich tapestry of narratives that characterize Canada’s literary landscape.
The Governor General's Literary Awards, established in 1936, will celebrate their 90th anniversary in 2026 and feature a total annual prize value of $450,000. Winners in each category receive a $25,000 prize, while publishers of winning works are awarded $3,000 for promotion, and finalists receive $1,000.
**2026 English-language Finalists:**
*Fiction:*
Good Guys by Sharon Bala (St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador), McClelland & Stewart
Mother of God by Sara Peters (Toronto, Ontario), McClelland & Stewart
Property by Kate Cayley (Toronto, Ontario), Coach House Books
Suddenly Light by Nina Dunic (Scarborough, Ontario), Invisible Publishing
The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu (Seattle, U.S.), HarperCollins Canada
*Poetry:*
An Orange, A Syllable by Gillian Sze (Montréal, Quebec), ECW Press
Catastrophilia by Julie Roorda (St. Catharines, Ontario), Guernica Editions
Interposition by Kaie Kellough (Montréal, Quebec), McClelland & Stewart
Pitiful: Poems by Brandi Bird (Burnaby, British Columbia), House of Anansi Press
The World After Rain by Canisia Lubrin (Whitby, Ontario), McClelland & Stewart
*Drama:*
Prince Faggot by Jordan Tannahill (London, UK), Playwrights Canada Press
PYPER by Susanna Fournier (Toronto, Ontario), Playwrights Canada Press
Red Like Fruit by Hannah Moscovitch (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Playwrights Canada Press
Salesman in China by Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy (Montréal, Quebec), Playwrights Canada Press
*Non-fiction:*
A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toews (Toronto, Ontario), Knopf Canada
Black Bear by Trina Moyles (Whitehorse, Yukon), Knopf Canada
The Lobster Trap by Greg Mercer (Toronto, Ontario), McClelland & Stewart
The Work of Our Hands by Adrian Sutherland (Attawapiskat, Ontario), Viking Canada
You Will Not Kill Our Imagination by Saeed Teebi (Oakville, Ontario), Scribner Canada
*Young People's Literature – Text:*
Seabird by Michelle Kadarusman (Toronto, Ontario), Pajama Press
The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding (Toronto, Ontario), DCB Young Readers
The Rebel Girls of Rome by Jordyn Taylor (New York City, U.S.), HarperCollins Canada
The World's End by David A. Robertson (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Tundra Books
Touching Grass by Kristy Jackson (Corman Park, Saskatchewan), HarperCollins Canada
*Young People's Literature – Illustrated Books:*
A Door Is to Open by Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad (Toronto, Ontario / Vancouver, British Columbia), Tundra Books
Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe (Montréal, Quebec), Simon & Schuster Canada
Billie Builds a RoboCorn by José Lourenço and James Braithwaite (Toronto, Ontario), Tundra Books
Call Me Gray by Andrew Larsen, Bells Larsen and Tallulah Fontaine (Toronto, Ontario / Montréal, Quebec), Kids Can Press
Little Moments in a Big Universe by Todd Stewart (Montréal, Quebec), Owlkids Books
*Translation:*
All Kidding Aside by Neil Smith (Montréal, Quebec), Baraka Books
The Love of Man by Jonathan Kaplansky (Montréal, Quebec), Guernica Editions
The Origin of the Future by Jonathan Kaplansky (Montréal, Quebec), Guernica Editions
Together by the Sea by Katia Grubisic (Montréal, Quebec), House of Anansi Press
When Water Became Blue by Rhonda Mullins (Montréal, Quebec), Coach House Books
**2026 French-language Finalists:**
*Fiction:*
Comme les éclipses by Alex Thibodeau (Québec City, Quebec), Tête première
Godpèle by Gabriel Marcoux-Chabot (Saguenay, Quebec), La Peuplade
Pathologique by Sarah McNeil (Sherbrooke, Quebec), Éditions Poètes de brousse
Tout cela m'appartient by Virginie Chaloux-Gendron (Québec City, Quebec), Les Éditions du Boréal
La glace part en morceaux by Charlotte Gosselin (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions Pow Pow
*Poetry:*
À toute heure by Martine Audet (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du Noroît
Cinéma by Stéfanie Tremblay (Chicoutimi, Quebec), La Peuplade
Histoire de ma gueule by Elissa Kayal (Montréal, Quebec), L'Oie de Cravan
Le royaume des chuchotements by Vincent Lambert (Saint-Philémon, Quebec), Les Éditions du Boréal
Précieux sang by Marie-Hélène Voyer (Rimouski, Quebec), La Peuplade
*Drama:*
Après t'avoir bordé tendrement, je meurs by Stéphanie Labbé (Montréal, Quebec), Dramaturges Éditeurs
Chronologies by Stephie Mazunya (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du remue-ménage
Corps fantômes by François Édouard Bernier et al. (Montréal, Quebec), Atelier 10
Faon by Marie-Christine Lê-Huu (Montréal, Quebec), Atelier 10
L'histoire de comment je me suis séparée en deux by Hoda Adra (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du Noroît
*Non-fiction:*
Le spleen d'Oulan-Bator by Jean-Frédéric Légaré‑Tremblay, Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal
Ondinnok. Le désir secret de l'âme by Catherine Joncas and Yves Sioui Durand (Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec), les éditions du passage
Penser croche by Dalie Giroux, Mémoire d'encrier
Sur l'errance by Anouk Sugàr (Montréal, Quebec), Nota bene
Vida. Journal de la peur by Nicholas Dawson (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du remue-ménage
*Young People's Literature – Text:*
Au chevet de la lumière by Jean‑Christophe Réhel (Repentigny, Quebec), la courte échelle
Comment convaincre un fantôme de déménager by Maude Ménard‑Dunn (Dunham, Quebec), Éditions Québec Amérique
Les différences invisibles by Maude Nepveu‑Villeneuve (Montréal, Québec), Éditions Écosociété
Un don du ciel by Eveline Payette, Les Éditions du Boréal
Un roi sans couronne by Uashteskun (Montréal, Quebec), Dominique et compagnie
*Young People's Literature – Illustrated Books:*
À l'enVERRE by Orbie (Percé, Quebec), Éditions Les 400 coups
Fleurs de verre by Eve Patenaude (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions XYZ
La maison cachette by Erika Soucy et Geneviève Bigué (L'Ange‑Gardien, Quebec), Éditions de la Pastèque
Minuit sonne et farandole by Alizée Goulet and Laurence Goulet‑Tremblay (Deux‑Montagnes, Quebec), Monsieur Ed
Nos poissons by Éric Dupont and Mathilde Cinq‑Mars (Montréal, Quebec), Marchand de feuilles
*Translation (from English to French):*
Jungle by Jeannot Clair (Montréal, Quebec), Héliotrope
La lune des feuilles rouges by Daniel Grenier (Québec City, Quebec), Éditions Prise de parole
La saignée. Enquête sur l'endométriose et la misogynie médicale ordinaire by Catherine Ego (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du remue-ménage
Le trou dans le ciel by Vicky Bernard (Orford, Quebec), Éditions du Noroît
Seule la peur est bleue by Sophie Voillot (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions Alto
The final winners will be announced on November 12, 2026. For more information, visit ggbooks.ca.