{"id":229312,"date":"2025-10-21T12:19:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T12:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/229312\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T12:19:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T12:19:10","slug":"discover-the-2025-governor-generals-literary-awards-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/229312\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the 2025 Governor General’s Literary Awards Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

70 GGBooks revealed by the Canada Council<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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 <\/p>\n

Following a rigorous process, the peer assessment committees convened by the Canada\u00a0Council have selected 70 books published in Canada over the last year as the 2025 finalists.<\/p>\n

About the GGBooks <\/p>\n

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.
\n The Canada Council for the Arts has funded, administered and promoted these awards since 1959.
\n 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.
\n 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. <\/p>\n

English-language 2025 finalists (Seven categories) <\/p>\n

Fiction <\/p>\n

Endling \u2013 Maria Reva (New Westminster, British Columbia), Knopf (Penguin Random House Canada)
\n Hi, It’s Me \u2013 Fawn Parker (Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Toronto, Ontario), McLelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House Canada)
\n Juiceboxers \u2013 Benjamin Hertwig (Edmonton, Alberta), Freehand Books
\n real ones \u2013 katherena vermette (Treaty 1 territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba), Penguin Random House Canada
\n Small Ceremonies \u2013 Kyle Edwards (Lake Manitoba First Nation, Manitoba), McLelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House Canada) <\/p>\n

Poetry <\/p>\n

10:10 \u2013 Michael Trussler (Regina, Saskatchewan), icehouse poetry (Goose Lane Editions)
\n Dante’s Inferno: A new translation \u2013 Lorna Goodison (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia), Carcanet Press
\n Island \u2013 Douglas Walbourne-Gough (Mi’kmaq First Nation, Elmastukwek (the Bay of Islands)), Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), icehouse poetry (Goose Lane Editions)
\n Shadow Price \u2013 Farah Ghafoor (Toronto, Ontario), House of Anansi Press
\n Wellwater \u2013 Karen Solie (Canada and Scotland), House of Anansi Press <\/p>\n

Drama <\/p>\n

Downed Hearts \u2013 Catherine Banks (Sambro, Nova Scotia), Scirocco Drama (J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing)
\n Fall on Your Knees \u2013 Alisa Palmer, Hannah Moscovitch (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec \/ Halifax, Nova Scotia (Playwrights Canada Press)
\n Little Pretty and The Exceptional \u2013 Anusree Roy (Toronto, Ontario), Playwrights Canada Press
\n Rise, Red River \u2013 Tara Beagan (Calgary, Alberta), Playwrights Canada Press
\n The Ministry of Grace \u2013 Tara Beagan (Calgary, Alberta), Scirocco Drama (J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing) <\/p>\n

Non-fiction <\/p>\n

All Our\u202fOrdinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey \u2013 Teresa Wong (Calgary, Alberta), Arsenal Pulp Press
\n How to Survi ve a Bear Attack \u2013 Claire Cameron (Toronto, Ontario), Knopf Canada (Penguin Random House Canada)
\n Searching for Serafim: The Life and Legacy of Serafim “Joe” Fortes \u2013 Ruby Smith D\u1f77az (Ladysmith, British Columbia), Arsenal Pulp Press
\n The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse: A Memoir \u2013 Vinh Nguyen (Toronto, Ontario), HarperCollins Canada
\n What to Feel, How to Feel \u2013 Shane Neilson (Cambridge, Ontario), Palimpsest Press <\/p>\n

Young People’s Literature \u2013 Text <\/p>\n

A Drop in the Ocean \u2013 L\u00e9a Taranto (Burnaby, British Columbia), Arsenal Pulp Press
\n Beast \u2013 Richard Van Camp (Edmonton, Alberta), Douglas & McIntyre
\n Best of all Worlds \u2013 Kenneth Oppel (Toronto, Ontario) Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada)
\n The Outsmarters \u2013 Deborah Ellis (Simcoe, Ontario) Groundwood Books
\n Tig \u2013 Heather Smith (Waterloo, Ontario), Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada) <\/p>\n

Young People’s Literature \u2013 Illustrated Books <\/p>\n

Bog Myrtle, Sid Sharp (Toronto, Ontario), Annick Press
\n It Bears Repeating \u2013 Tanya Tagaq, Cee Pootoogook (Toronto, Ontario \/ Cape Dorset, Nunavut), Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada)
\n Oasis, Guojing (Surrey, British Columbia), Henry Holt & Co. (Macmillan Publishers)
\n The Rock and the Butterfly, Kathy Stinson, Brooke Kerrigan (Rockwood, Ontario \/ Les Houches, France), Orca Book Publishers
\n This Land is a Lullaby \u2013 Tonya Simpson, Delre\u00e9 Dumont (Westerose, Alberta \/ Nakusp, British Columbia), Orca Book Publishers <\/p>\n

Translation (from French to English) <\/p>\n

Baldwin, Styron, and Me \u2013 Catherine Khordoc (Ottawa, Ontario), Biblioasis; translation of Baldwin, Styron et moi, by M\u00e9likah Abdelmoumen
\n Farida \u2013 Phyllis Aronoff, Howard Scott (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec \/ Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Mawenzi House Publishers; translation of Farida, by Monia Mazigh
\n May Our Joy Endure \u2013 Donald Winkler (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Biblioasis; translation of Que notre joie demeure, by Kevin Lambert
\n Muybridge \u2013 Helge Dascher, Rob Aspinall (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec \/ Guelph, Ontario), Drawn & Quarterly; translation of Muybridge, by Guy Delisle
\n Uiesh \/ Somewhere \u2013 Jessica Moore (Toronto, Ontario), Talonbooks; translation of Uiesh \/ Quelque part, by Jos\u00e9phine Bacon <\/p>\n

French-language 2025 finalists (Seven categories) <\/p>\n

Fiction <\/p>\n

Femmes silencieuses \u2013 Cristina Vanciu (Brossard, Quebec), H\u00e9liotrope
\n Je mets mes r\u00eaves sur la table \u2013 Martina Chumova (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Le Cheval d’ao\u00fbt
\n Les d\u00e9terr\u00e9es \u2013 Katia Belkhodja (Brossard, Quebec), M\u00e9moire d’encrier
\n Rapines \u2013 Patrice Lessard (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), \u00c9ditions XYZ
\n Une histoire silencieuse \u2013 Alexandra Boilard-Lefebvre (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), La Peuplade <\/p>\n

Poetry <\/p>\n

Aller aux corps \u2013 Laurence Veilleux (Rimouski, Quebec), \u00c9ditions du Noro\u00eet
\n Au passage du fleuve \u2013 Paul Chanel Malenfant (Rimouski, Quebec), \u00c9ditions du Noro\u00eet
\n Comparution \u2013 Angelina Guo (Longueuil, Quebec), Le Quartanier
\n Les sutures \u2013 Catherine Harton (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Po\u00e8tes de brousse
\n Mourir est beau \u2013 St\u00e9phane Martelly (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), \u00c9ditions du Noro\u00eet <\/p>\n

Drama <\/p>\n

Awards \u2013 Maxime Brillon (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Les Herbes rouges
\n Ces regards amoureux de gar\u00e7ons alt\u00e9r\u00e9s \u2013 \u00c9ric No\u00ebl (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Lem\u00e9ac \u00c9diteur
\n Fanny \u2013 R\u00e9becca D\u00e9raspe (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), \u00c9ditions de Ta M\u00e8re
\n La vengeance\u00a0et l’oubli \u2013 Olivier Kemeid\u00a0(Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Lem\u00e9ac \u00c9diteur
\n Paysages \u2013 Dani\u00e8le LeBlanc (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Lansman Editeur <\/p>\n

Non-fiction <\/p>\n

Faire que! L’engagement politique \u00e0 l’\u00e8re de l’inou\u00ef \u2013 Alain Deneault (Petite-Rivi\u00e8re-de-l’\u00cele, New Brunswick), Lux \u00c9diteur
\n Mourir de froid, c’est beau, c’est long, c’est d\u00e9licieux \u2013 Nathalie Plaat (Sherbrooke, Quebec), Les Presses de l’Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al (Les salicaires)
\n Recueillir \u2013 Louise Warren (Saint-Lambert, Quebec), \u00c9ditions du Noro\u00eet
\n Soigner, \u00e9crire \u2013 Ouanessa Younsi (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Les Presses de l’Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al
\n Tu viens d’o\u00f9? R\u00e9flexions sur le m\u00e9tissage et les fronti\u00e8res \u2013 Ma\u00efka Sondarjee (Gatineau, Quebec), Lux \u00c9diteur <\/p>\n

Young People’s Literature \u2013 Text <\/p>\n

Cheer \u2013\u00a0 Laura Doyle P\u00e9an (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Les \u00c9ditions de La Bagnole
\n Coup bas \u2013\u00a0 Laurie L\u00e9veill\u00e9 (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), La courte \u00e9chelle
\n Fatigu\u00e9 mort \u2013 Marc-Andr\u00e9 Dufour-Labb\u00e9 (Richmond, Quebec), Lem\u00e9ac Jeunesse
\n T\u00eate boule disco \u2013 No\u00e9mie Pomerleau-Cloutier (Rimouski, Quebec), Les \u00c9ditions du Bor\u00e9al
\n Vieille branche \u2013 Catherine Fouron (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Les \u00c9ditions de La Bagnole <\/p>\n

Young People’s Literature \u2013 Illustrated Books <\/p>\n

En crise \u2013 Annick Lefebvre, Vincent Partel-Valette (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec \/ Mont-Royal, Quebec), Les \u00c9ditions de La Bagnole
\n La tasse de Gilles \u2013 Catherine Trudeau, Qin Leng (Longueuil, Quebec \/ Toronto, Ontario), La Past\u00e8que
\n Le livre aspirateur \u2013 Jocelyn Boisvert, Enzo (Les \u00celes-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec \/ Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), \u00c9ditions Michel Quintin
\n Murielle et le myst\u00e8re \u2013 Charlotte Parent (B\u00e9cancour, Quebec), Comme des g\u00e9ants
\n Un cadeau de No\u00ebl en novembre \u2013 St\u00e9phane Laporte, Jacques Goldstyn (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec \/ Mont-Royal, Quebec), Les \u00c9ditions de La Bagnole <\/p>\n

Translation (from English to French) <\/p>\n

Cr\u00e9atures obscures du 21e si\u00e8cle \u2013 Annie Goulet (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), H\u00e9liotrope; translation of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, by Kim Fu
\n \u00c9tude pour l’ob\u00e9issance \u2013 Catherine Leroux (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Alto; translation of Study for Obedience, by Sarah Bernstein
\n Les s\u0153urs de la Mu\u00e9e \u2013 Sylvie B\u00e9rard, Suzanne Grenier (Peterborough, Ontario \/ Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Le Quartanier; translation of The Tiger Flu, by Larissa Lai
\n Nous, Jane \u2013 Genevi\u00e8ve Robichaud, Danielle LeBlanc (Tantramar, New Brunswick \/ Moncton, New Brunswick), \u00c9ditions Perce-Neige; translation of We, Jane, by Aimee Wall
\n Rouge \u2013 Marie Frankland (Montr\u00e9al, Quebec), Qu\u00e9bec Am\u00e9rique; translation of Rouge, by Mona Awad <\/p>\n

Makeup of the 2025 English-language peer assessment committees <\/p>\n

Fiction:\u00a0Carol Bruneau, Bridget Canning, Conor Kerr
Poetry:\u00a0Tammy Armstrong, Katia Grubisic, Kevin Irie
Drama:\u00a0Kanika Ambrose, Sharon King-Campbell, Bruce McKay
Non-fiction:\u00a0Kevin Chong, Norma Dunning, Adrienne Gruber
Young People’s Literature \u2013 Text:\u00a0Wayne Arthurson, Susin Nielsen, Karen Rivers
Young People’s Literature \u2013 Illustrated Books:\u00a0Dawn Baker, Matthew Forsythe, Bridget George
Translation (from French to English):\u00a0Bilal Hashmi,\u00a0Dimitri Nasrallah<\/p>\n

Makeup of the 2025 French-language peer assessment committees <\/p>\n

Fiction:\u00a0Daniel Grenier, Ayavi Lake, Sophie L\u00e9tourneau
Poetry:\u00a0Chantal Ringuet, Patrick Roy, Ouanessa Younsi
Drama: Jean-Philippe Baril Gu\u00e9rard, P\u00e9n\u00e9lope Bourque, \u00c9milie Monnet
Non-fiction:\u00a0Marie-Pier Lafontaine, Guylaine Massoutre, Melchior Mbonimpa
Young People’s Literature \u2013 Text:\u00a0Lula Carballo, Mathieu Fortin, Fran\u00e7ois Gilbert
Young People’s Literature \u2013 Illustrated Books:\u00a0Katia Canciani, Lyne Gareau, Samuel Parent
Translation (from English to French):\u00a0Arianne Des Rochers, \u00c9milie Laram\u00e9e, Paul Ruban<\/p>\n

Mark your calendars <\/p>\n

The 14 winning books will be announced on November 6, 2025. For more information, visit:\u00a0ggbooks.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About the Canada Council for the Arts <\/p>\n

The Canada Council for the Arts<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SOURCE Canada Council for the Arts<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Media relations contacts: For media requests, including interviews with artists, please contact: Earnscliffe Strategies, Jennifer Farr, [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>,\u00a0416-910-5221; Canada Council for the Arts, Communications and Engagement, [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>, 613-239-3958 | 1-800-263-5588, extension 5151<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"70 GGBooks revealed by the Canada Council OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 21, 2025 \/CNW\/ – The Canada Council for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229313,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[353,49,48,109390,75],"class_list":["post-229312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-books","tag-books","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-council-for-the-arts","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}