April 9, 2026
Winnipeg, MB – The working board of the Manitoba Book Awards is excited to announce the return of provincial literary prizes. The Manitoba Book Awards recognize the excellent books written and published in this province and have showcased the best in Manitoba writing since 1989. Winners receive a cash prize and are honoured at a public ceremony. Past winners include Margaret Sweatman, Joan Thomas, katherena vermette, Duncan Mercredi, David Bergen and Lise Gaboury-Diallo.
The Manitoba Book Awards were previously run as a joint project of Plume Winnipeg (formerly the Winnipeg International Writers Festival), the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers, the Winnipeg Public Library and the Manitoba Writers Guild, who together carried out the work with integrity and a strong commitment to literary excellence. It was announced in 2024 that the awards would cease to operate after several years of struggles with sustainability. The mantle has been taken up by an independent board of writers and arts workers who are determined to see the awards continue to thrive. They have formed a non-profit organization, Manitoba Book Awards Inc., to oversee the awards.
In 2026, the Manitoba government has re-committed to funding three of the awards — The Margaret Laurence Fiction Award, Prix Littéraire rue-Deschambault and the Alexander Kennedy Ibister Award for Nonfiction — while other awards will be sponsored by various contributors.
“The Manitoba Book Awards have always been an important piece of the literary landscape in this province,” said Board President David A. Robertson. “They offer not only an opportunity for the public to celebrate the rich talent here at home, but to support and promote local creators. We are excited to revive the book awards and to ensure they are sustainable and supportive for years to come.”
Robertson has received multiple Manitoba Book Awards, including the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award.
“Manitoba has such a rich history of spectacular writing and publishing that our literary community members should be celebrated for the outstanding work they do,” said Board Vice President Jenny Heijun Wills, 2020 recipient of the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book. “It comes as no surprise to me that some of the most exciting and innovative authors of today are connected to this place. It will likewise not surprise me when we confirm that some of the most brilliant writers of tomorrow are also part of the Manitoban literary world.”
Other members of the board of directors include writers Seyward Goodhand, Ariel Gordon, Anna Leventhal, Rowan McCandless, Bertrand Nayet, Colleen Nelson and Chimwemwi Undi and visual artist Chantel Mierau, who together represent a broad range of skills and assets in project coordination and arts organizing.
We are also pleased to have hired Scott Maier as Awards Coordinator, a graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s Creative Communications program.
In 2026, six awards will be presented:
- The Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award
- The Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
- The Lansdowne Prize for Poetry
- The Margaret Laurence Fiction Award
- Prix Littéraire rue-Deschambault
- The Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Nonfiction
The committee will begin accepting submissions from publishers April 15 and will announce shortlisted books in August. Winners will be announced at a ceremony September 19th at Winnipeg’s Park Theatre.
For more information, please visit https://manitobabookawards.ca/
For media inquiries, please contact manitobabookawards@gmail.com.
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