The West Coast Book Prize Society is thrilled to announce the winners of the 37th annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. Prizes are awarded annually to recognize the achievements of BC authors and publishers. Award winners are selected through a juried system, with five finalists in each prize category, including the winner selected in each prize category.
To view the 2021 Awards Presentation Video click here.
Here is the list of the 2021 BC and Yukon Book Prizes winners:
- Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize – Shaena Lambert, Petra (Random House Canada)
- Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize – Billy-Ray Belcourt, A History of My Brief Body (Hamish Hamilton Canada/Penguin Random House Canada)
- Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize – Michael Prior, Burning Province (McClelland & Stewart)
- Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize – Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Kwanlin Dün (Figure 1 Publishing)
- Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize – Sara Cassidy (Illustrated by Charlene Chua), Genius Jolene (Orca Book Publishers)
- Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize – Rina Singh and Ellen Rooney (Illustrator), Grandmother School (Orca Book Publishers)
- Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes – Joel Bakan, The New Corporation (Allen Lane Canada/Penguin Canada)
- Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award – Robert Amos, The E. J. Hughes Book of Boats (TouchWood Editions)
In addition to the eight awards for the annual prize categories, two awards were also awarded to writers for their body of work and contributions to the literary community:
Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence – Joseph A. Dandurand
The recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence will be recognized as having written a substantial body of literary work throughout their career and contributed significantly to the literary community/industry of the Province of British Columbia.
Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution – Joanna Lilley
The recipient of the Borealis Prize will be recognized as having spent significant time living and working among the writing community in Yukon and made substantial contributions to the Yukon writing and publishing community through writing, publishing, community organizing, Indigenous writing and storytelling, or in many other ways.
These prize-winning authors and publishers were honoured at the 37th annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes Gala, which was held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony was hosted by author and past BC and Yukon Book Prizes winner Monique Gray Smith, and is available to view at bcyukonbookprizes.com
The BC and Yukon Book Prizes were established in 1985 to celebrate the achievements of BC and Yukon writers and publishers. The prizes are administered and awarded by a non-profit society that represents all facets of the publishing and writing community. The West Coast Book Prize Society congratulates all of the winners!