70 GGBooks revealed by the Canada Council
OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 21, 2025 /CNW/ – The Canada Council for the Arts is pleased to announce the 2025 Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks) finalists. These awards celebrate works published in Canada, in both official languages, across seven categories, and include books for readers of all ages.
“The books selected as 2025 Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists motivate readers of all ages to dream, discover and immerse themselves in captivating stories. Each of these literary works offers distinct perspectives on Canada and the world with the power to deepen connections between people, build communities and imagine a better future for all. The Canada Council for the Arts is honoured to celebrate the unique Canadian voices represented in these incredible literary works.”
— Michelle Chawla, Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts
Following a rigorous process, the peer assessment committees convened by the Canada Council have selected 70 books published in Canada over the last year as the 2025 finalists.
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, 2024, and June 30, 2025.
The writers, translators and illustrators whose books are selected as the winner in each category receive a $25,000 prize. Publishers receive $3,000 to promote the winning book; finalists receive $1,000 each.
English-language 2025 finalists (Seven categories)
Fiction
Endling – Maria Reva (New Westminster, British Columbia), Knopf (Penguin Random House Canada)
Hi, It’s Me – Fawn Parker (Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Toronto, Ontario), McLelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House Canada)
Juiceboxers – Benjamin Hertwig (Edmonton, Alberta), Freehand Books
real ones – katherena vermette (Treaty 1 territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba), Penguin Random House Canada
Small Ceremonies – Kyle Edwards (Lake Manitoba First Nation, Manitoba), McLelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House Canada)
Poetry
10:10 – Michael Trussler (Regina, Saskatchewan), icehouse poetry (Goose Lane Editions)
Dante’s Inferno: A new translation – Lorna Goodison (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia), Carcanet Press
Island – Douglas Walbourne-Gough (Mi’kmaq First Nation, Elmastukwek (the Bay of Islands)), Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), icehouse poetry (Goose Lane Editions)
Shadow Price – Farah Ghafoor (Toronto, Ontario), House of Anansi Press
Wellwater – Karen Solie (Canada and Scotland), House of Anansi Press
Drama
Downed Hearts – Catherine Banks (Sambro, Nova Scotia), Scirocco Drama (J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing)
Fall on Your Knees – Alisa Palmer, Hannah Moscovitch (Montréal, Quebec / Halifax, Nova Scotia (Playwrights Canada Press)
Little Pretty and The Exceptional – Anusree Roy (Toronto, Ontario), Playwrights Canada Press
Rise, Red River – Tara Beagan (Calgary, Alberta), Playwrights Canada Press
The Ministry of Grace – Tara Beagan (Calgary, Alberta), Scirocco Drama (J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing)
Non-fiction
All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey – Teresa Wong (Calgary, Alberta), Arsenal Pulp Press
How to Survi ve a Bear Attack – Claire Cameron (Toronto, Ontario), Knopf Canada (Penguin Random House Canada)
Searching for Serafim: The Life and Legacy of Serafim “Joe” Fortes – Ruby Smith Dá½·az (Ladysmith, British Columbia), Arsenal Pulp Press
The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse: A Memoir – Vinh Nguyen (Toronto, Ontario), HarperCollins Canada
What to Feel, How to Feel – Shane Neilson (Cambridge, Ontario), Palimpsest Press
Young People’s Literature – Text
A Drop in the Ocean – Léa Taranto (Burnaby, British Columbia), Arsenal Pulp Press
Beast – Richard Van Camp (Edmonton, Alberta), Douglas & McIntyre
Best of all Worlds – Kenneth Oppel (Toronto, Ontario) Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada)
The Outsmarters – Deborah Ellis (Simcoe, Ontario) Groundwood Books
Tig – Heather Smith (Waterloo, Ontario), Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada)
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books
Bog Myrtle, Sid Sharp (Toronto, Ontario), Annick Press
It Bears Repeating – Tanya Tagaq, Cee Pootoogook (Toronto, Ontario / Cape Dorset, Nunavut), Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada)
Oasis, Guojing (Surrey, British Columbia), Henry Holt & Co. (Macmillan Publishers)
The Rock and the Butterfly, Kathy Stinson, Brooke Kerrigan (Rockwood, Ontario / Les Houches, France), Orca Book Publishers
This Land is a Lullaby – Tonya Simpson, Delreé Dumont (Westerose, Alberta / Nakusp, British Columbia), Orca Book Publishers
Translation (from French to English)
Baldwin, Styron, and Me – Catherine Khordoc (Ottawa, Ontario), Biblioasis; translation of Baldwin, Styron et moi, by Mélikah Abdelmoumen
Farida – Phyllis Aronoff, Howard Scott (Montréal, Quebec / Montréal, Quebec), Mawenzi House Publishers; translation of Farida, by Monia Mazigh
May Our Joy Endure – Donald Winkler (Montréal, Quebec), Biblioasis; translation of Que notre joie demeure, by Kevin Lambert
Muybridge – Helge Dascher, Rob Aspinall (Montréal, Quebec / Guelph, Ontario), Drawn & Quarterly; translation of Muybridge, by Guy Delisle
Uiesh / Somewhere – Jessica Moore (Toronto, Ontario), Talonbooks; translation of Uiesh / Quelque part, by Joséphine Bacon
French-language 2025 finalists (Seven categories)
Fiction
Femmes silencieuses – Cristina Vanciu (Brossard, Quebec), Héliotrope
Je mets mes rêves sur la table – Martina Chumova (Montréal, Quebec), Le Cheval d’août
Les déterrées – Katia Belkhodja (Brossard, Quebec), Mémoire d’encrier
Rapines – Patrice Lessard (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions XYZ
Une histoire silencieuse – Alexandra Boilard-Lefebvre (Montréal, Quebec), La Peuplade
Poetry
Aller aux corps – Laurence Veilleux (Rimouski, Quebec), Éditions du Noroît
Au passage du fleuve – Paul Chanel Malenfant (Rimouski, Quebec), Éditions du Noroît
Comparution – Angelina Guo (Longueuil, Quebec), Le Quartanier
Les sutures – Catherine Harton (Montréal, Quebec), Poètes de brousse
Mourir est beau – Stéphane Martelly (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions du Noroît
Drama
Awards – Maxime Brillon (Montréal, Quebec), Les Herbes rouges
Ces regards amoureux de garçons altérés – Éric Noël (Montréal, Quebec), Leméac Éditeur
Fanny – Rébecca Déraspe (Montréal, Quebec), Éditions de Ta Mère
La vengeance et l’oubli – Olivier Kemeid (Montréal, Quebec), Leméac Éditeur
Paysages – Danièle LeBlanc (Montréal, Quebec), Lansman Editeur
Non-fiction
Faire que! L’engagement politique à l’ère de l’inouï – Alain Deneault (Petite-Rivière-de-l’ÃŽle, New Brunswick), Lux Éditeur
Mourir de froid, c’est beau, c’est long, c’est délicieux – Nathalie Plaat (Sherbrooke, Quebec), Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal (Les salicaires)
Recueillir – Louise Warren (Saint-Lambert, Quebec), Éditions du Noroît
Soigner, écrire – Ouanessa Younsi (Montréal, Quebec), Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal
Tu viens d’où? Réflexions sur le métissage et les frontières – Maïka Sondarjee (Gatineau, Quebec), Lux Éditeur
Young People’s Literature – Text
Cheer – Laura Doyle Péan (Montréal, Quebec), Les Éditions de La Bagnole
Coup bas – Laurie Léveillé (Montréal, Quebec), La courte échelle
Fatigué mort – Marc-André Dufour-Labbé (Richmond, Quebec), Leméac Jeunesse
Tête boule disco – Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier (Rimouski, Quebec), Les Éditions du Boréal
Vieille branche – Catherine Fouron (Montréal, Quebec), Les Éditions de La Bagnole
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books
En crise – Annick Lefebvre, Vincent Partel-Valette (Montréal, Quebec / Mont-Royal, Quebec), Les Éditions de La Bagnole
La tasse de Gilles – Catherine Trudeau, Qin Leng (Longueuil, Quebec / Toronto, Ontario), La Pastèque
Le livre aspirateur – Jocelyn Boisvert, Enzo (Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec / Montréal, Quebec), Éditions Michel Quintin
Murielle et le mystère – Charlotte Parent (Bécancour, Quebec), Comme des géants
Un cadeau de Noël en novembre – Stéphane Laporte, Jacques Goldstyn (Montréal, Quebec / Mont-Royal, Quebec), Les Éditions de La Bagnole
Translation (from English to French)
Créatures obscures du 21e siècle – Annie Goulet (Montréal, Quebec), Héliotrope; translation of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, by Kim Fu
Étude pour l’obéissance – Catherine Leroux (Montréal, Quebec), Alto; translation of Study for Obedience, by Sarah Bernstein
Les sœurs de la Muée – Sylvie Bérard, Suzanne Grenier (Peterborough, Ontario / Montréal, Quebec), Le Quartanier; translation of The Tiger Flu, by Larissa Lai
Nous, Jane – Geneviève Robichaud, Danielle LeBlanc (Tantramar, New Brunswick / Moncton, New Brunswick), Éditions Perce-Neige; translation of We, Jane, by Aimee Wall
Rouge – Marie Frankland (Montréal, Quebec), Québec Amérique; translation of Rouge, by Mona Awad
Makeup of the 2025 English-language peer assessment committees
Fiction:Â Carol Bruneau, Bridget Canning, Conor Kerr
Poetry:Â Tammy Armstrong, Katia Grubisic, Kevin Irie
Drama:Â Kanika Ambrose, Sharon King-Campbell, Bruce McKay
Non-fiction:Â Kevin Chong, Norma Dunning, Adrienne Gruber
Young People’s Literature – Text: Wayne Arthurson, Susin Nielsen, Karen Rivers
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books: Dawn Baker, Matthew Forsythe, Bridget George
Translation (from French to English): Bilal Hashmi, Dimitri Nasrallah
Makeup of the 2025 French-language peer assessment committees
Fiction: Daniel Grenier, Ayavi Lake, Sophie Létourneau
Poetry:Â Chantal Ringuet, Patrick Roy, Ouanessa Younsi
Drama: Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard, Pénélope Bourque, Émilie Monnet
Non-fiction:Â Marie-Pier Lafontaine, Guylaine Massoutre, Melchior Mbonimpa
Young People’s Literature – Text: Lula Carballo, Mathieu Fortin, François Gilbert
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books: Katia Canciani, Lyne Gareau, Samuel Parent
Translation (from English to French): Arianne Des Rochers, Émilie Laramée, Paul Ruban
Mark your calendars
The 14 winning books will be announced on November 6, 2025. For more information, visit:Â ggbooks.ca.
About the Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts mandate is to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. Through its grants, services, prizes, initiatives, and payments, the Canada Council supports a dynamic and diverse arts and literary scene. These activities generate a meaningful economic, cultural and social impact for over 2,000 communities in all parts of the country and beyond. The investments and leadership of the Council help advance public engagement in the arts from coast to coast to coast while also contributing to the international recognition of artists and arts organizations from Canada.Â
SOURCE Canada Council for the Arts
Media relations contacts: For media requests, including interviews with artists, please contact: Earnscliffe Strategies, Jennifer Farr, [email protected], 416-910-5221; Canada Council for the Arts, Communications and Engagement, [email protected], 613-239-3958 | 1-800-263-5588, extension 5151