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Canada Awards Archives

June 9, 2007

Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award

The Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award is awarded to an outstanding Canadian illustrator, or permanent resident of Canada, of a children's book published in Canada during the previous calendar year which is suitable for children up to age 14. The text of the book must be worthy of the illustrations

Established 1971. Sponsored by the Canadian Library Association.

June 10, 2007

Ann Connor Brimer Book Award

In 1990, the Nova Scotia Library Association established the Ann Connor Brimer Award for writers residing in Atlantic Canada who have made an outstanding contribution to children's literature.

The impetus for the award came from the late Ann Connor Brimer who was a strong advocate of Canadian children's literature and saw the need to recognize and encourage children's writers in Atlantic Canada.

Established in 1990. Sponsored by the Nova Scotia Library Association.

Arthur Ellis Awards

The year 2007 marks the 24th year for the prestigious Arthur Ellis Awards, named after the nom de travail of Canada's official hangman and recognizing excellence in Canadian crime writing.

Awards are presented in six categories (including Best Juvenile) for works in the crime genre published for the first time in the previous year by authors living in Canada, regardless of their nationality, or by Canadian writers living outside of Canada.

Juvenile Award established in 1994. Sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada.

Book of the Year for Children Award

To merit consideration for the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award, a book must have been published in Canada, in 2006, and its author must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. Any work that is an act of creative writing (i.e., fiction, poetry, narrative, non-fiction, retelling of traditional literature) shall be deemed eligible regardless of published format, including anthologies and collections.

Established in 1999. Sponsored by the Canadian Library Association and National Book Service.

Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award

The Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award was established in 1985 following the death of Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver, one of Canada's pre-eminent book illustrators. The Cleaver Award is administered by a committee of three members of the Canadian section of the International Board on Books for Young People. The recipient is a Canadian illustrator of a picture book published in Canada in English or French during the previous calendar year.

Established in 1985. Sponsored by Canadian section of the International Board on Books for Young People.

June 11, 2007

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction

The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, a $1000 prize, is awarded annually to reward excellence in the writing of an outstanding work of historical fiction for young readers, by a Canadian author, published in the previous calendar year. The award winner is decided by a jury selected by the Canadian Children's Book Centre. All books written by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants are eligible for consideration.

Established in 1988. Sponsored by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Governor General’s Literary Awards

The Governor General’s Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1937 when Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir (John Buchan, author of The Thirty-Nine Steps) honoured the best books of 1936. The GGs have since evolved into Canada’s pre-eminent national literary awards. Launched by the Canadian Authors Association, the awards were at first non-monetary prizes for the best works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama written in English or translated from French into English.

The Canada Council for the Arts assumed responsibility for funding, administering and adjudicating the awards in 1959, and added prizes for works written in French. In 1987, the Council’s Prizes for Children’s Literature (text and illustration) and Translation were made Governor General’s Literary Awards.

Established in 1937. Sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award

The Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award is an Atlantic Canadian book award which allows children to choose their favourite Canadian and Atlantic Canadian books. This year, the children will read from a selection of forty books divided in four categories: English Fiction, English Non-fiction, French Fiction and French Non-fiction, chosen for their literary, cultural and enjoyment factors. The books have generally been published within two or three years of selection.

Established in 1999. Sponsored by various Atlantic Canada institutions.

Violet Downey Book Award

Established in 1985, the Violet Downey Book Award, an annual award of $3,000, is given to the best English-language book published in the previous calendar year by a Canadian and published in Canada. The work must contain at least 500 words of text, be suitable for children aged 13 and under and may be in any category, with the exception of fairy tales, anthologies and adaptations. The winner will be chosen by a six-member panel of judges, which includes two recognized specialists in the field of children’s literature.

Established in 1985. Sponsored by the National Chapter Of Canada Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire.

IODE (Toronto) Book Award

Since 1974 the Municipal Chapter of Toronto IODE has presented an award intended to encourage the publication of books for children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. The award and accompanying cash prize of $1,000 are given annually to either an illustrator or an author of a book judged to contribute to children’s reading, and is chosen by a Committee set up by the Municipal Chapter of Toronto IODE. The award-winner must be a Canadian citizen, resident in Toronto or the surrounding area, and the book must be published in Canada.

Established in 1974. Sponsored by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire.

June 12, 2007

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction

Canada’s non-fiction books for young people are internationally renowned for the superb quality of their text, illustration and design. The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction was established by the Fleck Family Foundation and The Canadian Children's Book Centre in May 1999 to recognize and raise the profile of these exceptional non-fiction books.

The $10,000 Norma Fleck Award is the largest of its kind in Canadian children’s books, and is considered to be one of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes. The Norma Fleck Award is exclusively a non-fiction prize; most other Canadian’s children’s book prizes either evaluate fiction and non-fiction together, or don’t award non-fiction.

Established in 1999. Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation and The Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Alvine-Belisle Award

The Alvine-Belisle award is intended to recognize the best book for children, of English or French language, in Canada. Originally established by the Canadian Library Association (CLA).

Established in 1974. Sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Sciences and Technology of Documentation (ASTED).

Rocky Mountain Book Award

The Rocky Mountain Book Award is a readers’ choice program, which invites students to choose the best book from a shortlist. This Alberta-based program is designed to stimulate the reading interests of students in grades 4-7. Students and educators are invited to read exemplary Canadian literature, and then the students vote for their favorite book. This award program is for schools, libraries, and interested groups of students. This may include children who are being home-schooled or families who wish to become involved in reading good Canadian children’s literature. Each reading group must have a teacher or adult leader.

Established in 2001. Sponsored by various parties.

Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award

Prior to 2004, this award was known as the Ruth Schwartz Children’s Book Award. It was established in 1976 by Sylvia Schwartz in honour of the late Ruth Schwartz, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the Schwartz family decided to rename the awards – the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards to honour Sylvia, a well-known photographer in Toronto from 1940s to the early 1960s, who specialized in children’s portraiture. This prize recognizes authors and illustrators who demonstrate artistic excellence in Canadian children’s literature.

Established in 1976. Sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canadian Booksellers' Association.

Saskatchewan Book Awards

The Saskatchewan Book Awards were established in 1993 by the joint efforts of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild, Saskatchewan Publishers Group and Saskatchewan Library Association. Saskatchewan Book Awards Inc. was incorporated in 1994.

Our mandate is to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Saskatchewan authors and publishers and help promote their books. Awards have been added or changed according to demand and when a sponsor can be found. Leading up to the awards, short list readings help promote nominated books. The awards gala, held toward the end of November, positions winning books for the Christmas market.

Established in 1993. Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Writers Guild, Saskatchewan Publishers Group and Saskatchewan Library Association.

Science in Society Book Awards

The Canadian Science Writers' Association offers three awards annually to honour outstanding Canadian science books in the categories of: "General Audience", "Children", and "Youth".

Established in 1994. Sponsored by the Canadian Science Writers' Association.


British Columbia Book Prizes

The BC Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers.

The Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize is awarded annually as part of the British Columbia Book Prize program to the best children's book published in the previous year written by a writer who has been resident in British Columbia (or the Yukon) for three of the previous five years, published anywhere in the world. Deadline for submissions is December 1st, annually.

Established in 1985. Sponsored by various entities.

Willow Awards

Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice - The Willow Awards, Inc. (SYRCA) is a volunteer-run non-profit, charity begun in 2001. The mission of The Willow Awards is to promote reading by granting a "Willow Award" to the Canadian and/or Saskatchewan book(s) voted by Saskatchewan students to be the best of those nominated in designated categories for a specific year.

Established in 2002. Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice.

Young Adult Canadian Book Award

This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English language Canadian book which appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18. To be eligible for consideration, the following must apply: it must be a work of fiction (novel or collection of short stories) published in 2006, the title must be a Canadian publication in either hardcover or paperback, and the author must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant. The award is given annually, when merited, at the Canadian Library Association's annual conference. The winner will receive a leather-bound book with the title, author and award seal embossed on the cover in gold.

Established in 1980. Sponsored by the Candaian Library Association.