August 24, 2026
WINNIPEG, MB — The Manitoba Book Awards are thrilled to announce the shortlists for the six 2026 prizes.
Selected by authors, book industry professionals, librarians, and educators from across Canada, these shortlists represent the outstanding literary output and creativity of authors who reside in Manitoba.
Quick facts about the 2026 Manitoba Book Awards:
- This year, jurors evaluated 42 submissions across English, French, and bilingual categories.
- All of this year’s shortlisted books are published by independent Canadian presses.
- There are three titles that multiple juries chose to celebrate: The World So Wide by Zilla Jones, Seeing You Home by Catherine Hunter, and Jinn in the Family by R.Y. Abdulrehman.
“It’s always exciting when jurors work to navigate through an incredible collection of literary works,” says David A. Robertson, president of the Manitoba Book Awards. “It was heartening to see this expression of reading culture is alive and well in Manitoba. The juries had a tough time narrowing down the submissions into shortlists, but what we’ve come out with is a celebration of books and the talent we have in this province.”
Since 1989, the Manitoba Book Awards have been an important part of the province’s writing and publishing worlds. After a two-year hiatus from 2024-2025, the Manitoba Book Awards were reinstated for 2026 by the province’s literary community, with support from the Manitoba government, the Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Writers’ Guild, The Winnipeg Foundation, Friesens Corporation, McNally Robinson Booksellers, Michael Nesbitt, and other prize sponsors.
The winners of the 2026 Manitoba Book Awards will be announced at a prize ceremony at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg on Saturday, September 19th, 2026, at noon.
The ceremony is free and open to the public. It will be hosted by acclaimed broadcaster Shelagh Rogers.
To view the full list of shortlisted titles, please visit: https://manitobabookawards.ca/
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For more information, please contact:
David A. Robertson, President
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