Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence

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.

The prize will be an award of $3,000 and a framed certificate.

1. Writers must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents who were either born in British Columbia or whose principle place of residence has been British Columbia for at least the last five (5) full calendar years.
2. Writers who have written books in the following genres will be considered:
   • Fiction
   • Creative Non-fiction
   • Poetry
   • Children’s (including young adult fiction)
3. Books may have been published anywhere in the world.
4. There shall be only one recipient of the award each year.
5. Writers will not be awarded posthumously unless they were alive at the time of selection.

Nominations will be accepted from publishers as well as writing and publishing individuals and organizations. Self-nominations are not accepted.

Nominations should be submitted using this form. Please contact us if you would like to submit any materials by mail.

Please include the following in your nomination:

• A description of the nominee’s contributions to the BC literary community.
• A list of published works, and awards/accolades (if applicable).
• No more than 5 links to websites that clearly and specifically identify aspects of the nominee’s work and career. These links can feature such things as podcast interviews with the nominee or overviews of their work, wikipedia entries, biographical/bibliographic information, critical and/or creative writing by the nominee, reviews or critiques of their work, or any other relevant information that will help the jury to make their decision.
• 1-3 letters of support in pdf format.  These can include letters from community members, letters from contemporaries or others testifying to the importance of the nominee’s work and life. These letters are to help the jurors to assess and contextualize the influence and impact of the nominee’s work and career.

There is no limit to the number of individuals for which an individual or organization can submit a nomination. All nominations and supporting materials are considered confidential.

Unless otherwise requested, all nominations will be kept on file for a period of two years. If a nominee is not selected to win in their first year of application, the application will reviewed by a new jury the following year.

The nomination form can be found here.

If you have any questions about this process or submitting supporting materials please email info [at] bcyukonbookprizes.com

The jury shall consist of three prominent and diverse figures from the British Columbia literary community. The award will be presented at the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes Gala in the fall.