Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence

Established in 2003 by the Honourable Iona Campagnolo to recognize British Columbia writers who have contributed to the development of literary excellence in the Province. This award took a brief hiatus during 2018-2019 but was reinstated for 2020 by the Honourable Janet Austin.

There is no fee to submit a nomination. Nominations opened on March 15th, 2023 and closed at 5:00PM PT on May 31st, 2023

Supported by The Honourable Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia

Criteria

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.

Eligibility
  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

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.

Nomination Form

Nominations are now closed. Next year’s nominations will reopen in spring 2024.

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

Jury

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.

Previous Winners

2022 Audrey Thomas
2021 Joseph A. Dandurand
2020 Julie Flett & Joy Kogawa
2017 Douglas Coupland
2016 Alan Twigg
2015 Betty Keller
2014 Kit Pearson
2013 Lorna Crozier and Sarah Ellis
2012 Brian Brett
2011 George Bowering
2010 Stan Persky
2009 Terry Glavin
2008 Gary Geddes
2007 Patrick Lane
2006 Jack Hodgins
2005 Robert Bringhurst
2004 P.K. Page