Award Details
Language: English
Presented annually to the Manitoba writer whose English-language book of adult fiction is deemed the best written.
Eligibility:
- Entry must be a book of English-language adult fiction published between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. (Ineligible books: new editions/reprints, books for young people.)
- Eligible authors must have been residents of Manitoba for one of the past two years and three of the past five years.
- Co-authored books are eligible as long as 50% of authors meet the residency criteria.
- Fiction anthologies are eligible as long as 50% of editors meet the residency criteria, but the anthologies must only contain fiction.
- The prize may be awarded posthumously to an author or editor who has met the publication and residency requirements but has died within the award period.
Prize amount: $3,000
The Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction is generously sponsored by the Manitoba government.
Margaret Laurence (1926-1987) was a Manitoba writer. She was the author of five novels, two of which won the Governor General’s Award, and three short-story collections as well as non-fiction and books for children. She was a founder of the Writers’ Trust of Canada. Her childhood home in Neepawa has been turned into a museum.
Ready to apply?
Submit your piece for the 2026 Manitoba Book Awards
by Friday, May 8, 2026.