The Canada Council for the Arts Reveals the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Awards Winners

Ottawa, November 13, 2024 ― The Canada Council for the Arts is pleased to announce the 2024 winners of the Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks). These prestigious awards celebrate remarkable literary works published in Canada, in both official languages, across seven categories, and include books for readers of all ages.

The 14 winning books were chosen by the same 14 peer assessment committees that were convened to select the 35 English-language and 35 French-language finalists announced a few weeks ago. This year’s peer assessment committees followed a rigorous process in their deliberations and selection of the winners from among the 1,529 nominated books (978 in English and 551 in French) published in Canada in 2023–24.

About the GGBooks

• Founded in 1936, the Governor General’s Literary Awards are some of the oldest and most prestigious literary prizes in Canada, with a total annual prize value of $450,000.
• The Canada Council for the Arts has funded, administered and promoted these awards since 1959.
• Finalists are selected by category-specific, language-based peer assessment committees (seven in English and seven in French). This year, the committees considered eligible books published between August 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
• The writers, translators and illustrators whose books are selected as the winner in a given category receive a $25,000 prize. Publishers receive $3,000 to promote the winning book; finalists receive $1,000 each.

English-language winners for 2024 (seven categories)

Fiction

• Empty Spaces – Jordan Abel (Edmonton, Alberta), McClelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House Canada)

Poetry

• Scientific Marvel – Chimwemwe Undi (Winnipeg, Manitoba), House of Anansi Press

Drama

• There Is Violence and There Is Righteous Violence and There Is Death, or the Born-Again Crow – Caleigh Crow (Calgary, Alberta), Playwrights Canada Press

Non-fiction

• Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre – Niigaan Sinclair (Winnipeg, Manitoba), McClelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House Canada)

Young People’s Literature – Text

• Crash Landing – Li Charmaine Anne (New Westminster, British Columbia), Annick Press

Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books

• Skating Wild on an Inland Sea – Jean E. Pendziwol (Thunder Bay, Ontario) and Todd Stewart (Montréal, Quebec), Groundwood Books (House of Anansi)

Translation (from French to English)

• Nights Too Short to Dance – Katia Grubisic (Montréal, Quebec), Second Story Press; a translation of Un cœur habité de mille voix, by Marie-Claire Blais

French-language winners for 2024 (seven categories)

Fiction

• Lait cru – Steve Poutré (Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) Éditions Alto

Poetry

• poème dégénéré – névé dumas (La Pêche, Quebec), L’Oie de Cravan

Drama

• Wollstonecraft – Sarah Berthiaume (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions de Ta Mère

Non-fiction

• Hors jeu : Chronique culturelle et féministe sur l’industrie du sport professionnel – Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du remue-ménage

Young People’s Literature – Text

• Une bulle en dehors du temps – Stéfani Meunier (Montréal, Quebec), Leméac Éditeur

Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books

• Le premier arbre de Noël – Ovila Fontaine (Maliotenam, Quebec) et Charlotte Parent (Bécancour, Quebec), Éditions La Pastèque

Translation (from English to French)

• Ristigouche: Le long cours de la rivière sauvage – Éric Fontaine (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du Boréal; a translation of Restigouche: The Long Run of the Wild River

Makeup of the 2024 English-language peer assessment committees

Fiction: Chris Eaton, Francesca Ekwuyasi and Jen Ferguson
Poetry: Kathryn Mockler, Heather Nolan and Tolu Oloruntoba
Drama: Kevin Kerr, Marcia Johnson and Kamila Sediego
Non-fiction: Jordan Abel, Robyn Maynard and Mary Soderstrom
Young People’s Literature – Text: Sarah Everett, Louisa Onomé and Ken Setterington
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books: Kyrsten Brooker, Shauntay Grant and Kevin Sylvester
Translation (from French to English): Peter Feldstein, Jessica Moore and Anne-Marie Wheeler

Makeup of the 2024 French-language peer assessment committees

Fiction: Michael Delisle, Andrée Michaud and Maya Ombasic
Poetry: Bathélemy Bolivar, Virginie Chaloux-Gendron and Daria Colonna
Drama: Madeleine Blais-Dahlem, Antoine Côté Legault and Anne-Marie Olivier
Non-fiction: Marie-Andrée Lamontagne, Pierrot Ross-Tremblay and Anne-Marie Saint-Cerny
Young People’s Literature – Text: Mario Brassard, Christine Sioui Wawanoloath and Élise Turcotte
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books: Clément de Gaulejac, Diane Obomsawin and Isabelle Picard
Translation (from English to French): Jeannot Clair, Danielle LeBlanc and Nésida Loyer

About the Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s public arts funder, with a mandate to “foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.”

The Council’s grants, services, initiatives, prizes and payments contribute to the vibrancy of a creative and diverse arts and literary scene and support its presence across Canada and abroad. The Council’s investments foster greater engagement in the arts among audiences in Canada and internationally.

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