Governor General's Awards
A group of Canadian national awards presented by the Governor General recognizing distinction across literature, arts, and other fields; includes the prestigious Governor General's Literary Awards.
- Established
- 1937
- Organizer
- Office of the Governor General of Canada (overall); administered for many programs by the Canada Council for the Arts and by other organizations depending on the award (e.g., Rideau Hall Foundation, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Status of Women Canada).
- Category
- Research, Translation, and Scholarship
- Selection Method
- Recommendation
- Target
- Professional
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Status
- Active
Description
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of national awards presented by the Governor General of Canada to recognise distinction in numerous academic, artistic and social fields. The literary awards began in 1937 (for 1936 publications) with two categories and have since expanded (since 1987 the literary program comprises 14 categories across English and French). Various awards under the Governor General's Awards umbrella are administered by different bodies (e.g., Canada Council for the Arts for the literary and some arts awards, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for architecture medals, Rideau Hall Foundation for Innovation Awards). Prize types and frequencies vary by program (annual literary awards, biennial architecture medals, etc.). Finalists are commonly announced about one month before winners to attract media attention.
Prize
- Main Prize
- Prizes vary by program. Governor General's Literary Awards winners receive a cash prize and recognition; amounts differ across programs.
- Cash Prize
- 25,000 CAD
- Governor General's Literary Awards: CAD 25,000 to each winner (increased to $25,000 in 2007).
- Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts: CAD 15,000 each (six annual prizes).
- Governor General's Performing Arts Awards: CAD 25,000 plus a medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.
- Governor General's Medals in Architecture: up to 12 medals awarded every two years (no distinction among medals).
- Governor General's Award in Celebration of the Nation's Table: lapel pin and framed certificate bearing the heraldic shield.
- Other awards may include certificates, medals, mentorships, or non-cash honours depending on the program.
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submission / Nomination | Submissions or nominations are gathered by the administering body (e.g., publishers or nominators submit works for literary and many arts awards; some awards accept nominations from the public or organizations). | — | Entries are accepted/collected according to program rules; specifics vary by award. |
| Shortlist / Finalists | Category-specific juries or panels (expert peers) review submissions and compile shortlists. The Canada Council began announcing finalists about one month before winners to increase media attention. | — | Finalists are announced publicly (commonly about one month before the winners). |
| Jury deliberation | Independent peer juries or expert committees select winners (for Visual and Media Arts an independent peer jury of senior professionals is used; other categories have their own juries). | — | Juries deliberate and select winners according to category rules and criteria. |
| Winners announced / Presentation | Winners are confirmed by the administering body following jury decisions; the Governor General or representatives present certain awards. | — | Winners are announced at an annual ceremony and published on official websites and media channels. |
Criteria
- Distinction and excellence in the relevant field
- Literary quality: originality, craft, voice (for literary categories)
- Impact, innovation and demonstrable contribution (especially for Innovation Awards)
- Career achievement and sustained contribution (for Visual and Media Arts and lifetime-type honours)
- Promotion of equality and community impact (for Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case)
- Eligibility requirements as defined by each program (language, publication year, nationality/residency, etc.)
Application Tips
Dos
- Check: Confirm eligibility requirements for each program in advance (language category, publication year, nationality/residency conditions).
- Prepare submissions in the format specified by the guidelines (required documents, submission from publishers, etc.).
- For translation category submissions, clearly indicate credits for translator and original author.
- For Innovation Awards, etc., specifically demonstrate proven impact rather than theoretical claims.
Don''ts
- Do not submit after the deadline (strict adherence to deadlines).
- Do not submit works to categories that do not match the entry requirements.
- Do not leave incomplete documents or missing required information.
- For Innovation Awards, do not rely on claims that cannot demonstrate actual impact.
From Judges
- Judges emphasize originality, craftsmanship of expression, and the work's contribution.
- Demonstrate clear structure and high language quality (in both English and French categories).
- In research and non-fiction categories, rigor of evidence and references is important.
- For arts awards, career history and sustained activities (career achievements) may be evaluated.
Related Awards
- Governor General's Literary Awards (component categories)
- Governor General's Medals in Architecture
- Governor General's Performing Arts Awards
- Governor General's History Awards
- Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts
- Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case
- Governor General's Award in Celebration of the Nation's Table
- Governor General's Innovation Awards
- Governor General's Academic Medal
- Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
- Trillium Book Award
- CBC Literary Prize
- Michener Award
- Other national and regional Canadian literary and arts awards
Official Resources
https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/governor-generals-awards/awards-artsPast Winners
A hypnotic and mystifying exploration of land and legacy, investigating what it means to be an intergenerational, Indigenous survivor of Residential Schools Jordan Abel’s new work grows out of the groundbreaking visual expression in his recently published NISHGA, a book that combined nonfiction with photography, concrete poetry, and literary inquiry. Whereas NISHGA integrated descriptions of the landscape from James…
A hypnotic and mystifying exploration of land and legacy, investigating what it means to be an intergenerational, Indigenous survivor of Residential Schools Jordan Abel’s new work grows out of the groundbreaking visual…
Winner, 2024 Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry Winner, 2024 League of Canadian Poets Raymond Souster Award Finalist, 2024 League of Canadian Poets Gerald Lampert Memorial Award CBC Best Book of 2024 Marked by rhythmic drive, humour, and surprise, Undi’s poems consider what is left out from the history and ongoing realities of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Firmly grounded in the local, the arresting poems in Chimwem…
Winner, 2024 Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry Winner, 2024 League of Canadian Poets Raymond Souster Award Finalist, 2024 League of Canadian Poets Gerald Lampert Memorial Award CBC Best Book of 2024 Marked by…
Grocery-store clerk Beth has had a hell of a week. A hell of a life, actually, full of people squashing her soul.
Grocery-store clerk Beth has had a hell of a week.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Winner of the 2024 Governor General's Literary Award for Nonfiction • Named a Best Book of 2024 by Audible, Spotify, and Winnipeg Free Press • One of CBC's Best Canadian Nonfiction of 2024 From ground zero of this country's most important project: reconciliation. Niigaan Sinclair has been called provocative, revolutionary, and one of this country's most influential thinkers on the issues impact…
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Winner of the 2024 Governor General's Literary Award for Nonfiction • Named a Best Book of 2024 by Audible, Spotify, and Winnipeg Free Press • One of CBC's Best Canadian Nonfiction of 2024 From gro…
Winner of the Governor General's Award This YA debut is a searing ode to queer identity, growing up in an immigrant community, and carving a place for yourself in the world with the help of your friends. Jay Wong is spending the last languid days of summer 2010 trying to land a kickflip and begging for something (anything!) to make her senior year different—to finally give her some stories worth telling.
Winner of the Governor General's Award This YA debut is a searing ode to queer identity, growing up in an immigrant community, and carving a place for yourself in the world with the help of your friends.
Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol and Todd Stewart.
Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E.
René suddenly feels like an old man. Recovering at home after an illness, his mind will not leave the past.
René suddenly feels like an old man.
“The Quebec farm is neither green nor peaceful; she is haunted. By the missing, the stories of fear, the family secrets and the chicks dead in their shells.
“The Quebec farm is neither green nor peaceful; she is haunted.
degenerate poem by Névé Dumas.
degenerate poem by Névé Dumas.
Wollstonecraft by Sarah Berthiaume.
Wollstonecraft by Sarah Berthiaume.
More and more women are visible in men's professional sport. From spectators, cheerleaders or spouses of athletes, they now reach the ranks of coaches, referees and even team directors.
More and more women are visible in men's professional sport.
Océane is ugly. Roch, stoned.
Océane is ugly.
In the frozen Great North, winter is harsh for the Innu. The Great Manitu is looking for a tree to bring joy.
In the frozen Great North, winter is harsh for the Innu.
along the wild river: story
along the wild river: story
Winner, 2023 Governor General's Literary Award Winner, 2023 Writers Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2+ Emerging Writers Shortlisted for the 2024 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Longlisted for the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Genre-blending stories of transformation and belonging that centre women of colour and explore queerness, family, and community. A couple in a crumbling marriage faces divine inter…
Winner, 2023 Governor General's Literary Award Winner, 2023 Writers Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2+ Emerging Writers Shortlisted for the 2024 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Longlisted for the 2024 Carol Shield…
Winner, 2023 Governor General's Literary Award Winner, 2024 League of Canadian Poets' Gerald Lampert Memorial Award The Xanax Cowboy has a reputation like a rattlesnake. She might as well be a strike-anywhere match in a gasoline town.
Winner, 2023 Governor General's Literary Award Winner, 2024 League of Canadian Poets' Gerald Lampert Memorial Award The Xanax Cowboy has a reputation like a rattlesnake.
The title of William Shakespeare's As You Like It holds a double meaning that teasingly suggests the play can please all tastes. But is that possible?
The title of William Shakespeare's As You Like It holds a double meaning that teasingly suggests the play can please all tastes.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL’S LITERARY AWARD FOR NON-FICTION • A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year • National Jewish Book Award Finalist • For readers of Crying in H Mart and Wintering, an unforgettable memoir about a family secret revealed by a DNA test, the lessons learned in its aftermath, and the indelible power of love. Three months after Kyo Maclear’s father dies in December 2018, s…
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL’S LITERARY AWARD FOR NON-FICTION • A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year • National Jewish Book Award Finalist • For readers of Crying in H Mart and Wintering, an un…
“One of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever).” —Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club NPR Books We Love 2023 | Publishers Weekly Best of 2023 | Winner of the Governor General's Literary Awards for Young People's Literature A heart-wrenching middle grade debut about Kemi, an aspiring scientist who loves statistics and facts, as she navigates grief and loss at a moment when life as she knows it changes forever. El…
“One of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever).” —Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club NPR Books We Love 2023 | Publishers Weekly Best of 2023 | Winner of the Governor General's Literary Awards for Young People's Lit…
Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award Winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award A reverent celebration of learning to swim among a diverse cast of children and families who each experience the mysterious joys of water in nature. In this exploration of what it truly means to swim, expansive vignettes introduce sandpipers, tannin-soaked lakes, and the feeling of a small waterfall on sun-soaked…
Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award Winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award A reverent celebration of learning to swim among a diverse cast of children and families who each experience the m…
Rosaʼs Very Own Personal Revolution is a work by Peter McCambridge.
Rosaʼs Very Own Personal Revolution is a work by Peter McCambridge.
Atikᵁ utei. Le cœur du caribou is a work by Rita Mestokosho.
Atikᵁ utei. Le cœur du caribou is a work by Rita Mestokosho.
Big guy by Mathieu Gosselin.
Big guy by Mathieu Gosselin.
the excesses of political incorrectness
the excesses of political incorrectness
Unforgettable by Lou Beauchesne.
Unforgettable by Lou Beauchesne.
Florent is now a teenager and the ecoanxiety that marked his young years has transformed into a burning desire for action. There is a world to save, after all.
Florent is now a teenager and the ecoanxiety that marked his young years has transformed into a burning desire for action.
In the Shadow of the Sun: Reflections on Race and Narrative by Catherine Ego.
In the Shadow of the Sun: Reflections on Race and Narrative by Catherine Ego.
Winner of the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award in Fiction Shortlisted for the 2023 Rathbones Folio Prize in Fiction Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vulture, The Times Literary Supplement, and more Pure Colour is a galaxy of a novel: explosive, celestially bright, huge, and streaked with beauty. It is a contemporary bible, an atlas of feeling, and an absurdly funny guide to…
Winner of the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award in Fiction Shortlisted for the 2023 Rathbones Folio Prize in Fiction Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vulture, The Times Literary…
Shadow Blight by Annick MacAskill.
Shadow Blight by Annick MacAskill.
Winner- 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award for English-Language Nonfiction Members of Eli Baxter’s generation are the last of the hunting and gathering societies living on Turtle Island. They are also among the last fluent speakers of the Anishinaabay language known as Anishinaabaymowin.
Winner- 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award for English-Language Nonfiction Members of Eli Baxter’s generation are the last of the hunting and gathering societies living on Turtle Island.
In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth. A William C.
In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—an…
A heartwarming look at love, loss, and memorable objects through the eyes of a child After her grandfather's death, a young girl wanders through his house. As she tours each room, the objects she discovers stir memories of her grandfather--her baba bozorg.
A heartwarming look at love, loss, and memorable objects through the eyes of a child After her grandfather's death, a young girl wanders through his house.
The presence of Jews in Quebec dates back four centuries. Quebec Jewry, in Montreal in particular, has evolved over time, thanks to successive waves of migration from different regions of the world.
The presence of Jews in Quebec dates back four centuries.
“In this collection, the voice of the poet blends into the memory of the territory, the culture, its roots, the memory of the intimate body as well as the atrophied memory of History. The first part, Children of Lichen, underlines with tenderness and a desire for healing the urgency of not turning a blind eye to the disappearances of children and women, to exclusion, dispossession and contempt.
“In this collection, the voice of the poet blends into the memory of the territory, the culture, its roots, the memory of the intimate body as well as the atrophied memory of History.
The Roman Road by Sylveline Bourion.
The Roman Road by Sylveline Bourion.
Cancer ascendant Ostrich by Julie Champagne.
Cancer ascendant Ostrich by Julie Champagne.
You want this and you want that, but what should you do when you can’t make a decision? ?
You want this and you want that, but what should you do when you can’t make a decision?
While outside the restaurant a snowstorm rages, inside Hazel, other storms threaten. Iris must work despite herself with her lover, the boss who is as irresistible as he is toxic, and his wife, who is also the owner of the place.
While outside the restaurant a snowstorm rages, inside Hazel, other storms threaten.
A short story collection illuminating Inuit experience south of the tundra, where six characters navigate alienation, displacement, and the pull of family and community.
Six stories trace Inuit lives in southern Canada.
"Personal, primordial, and pulsing with syncopated language, Tolu Oloruntoba's poetic debut, The Junta of Happenstance, is a compendium of dis-ease.
"Personal, primordial, and pulsing with syncopated language, Tolu Oloruntoba's poetic debut, The Junta of Happenstance, is a compendium of dis-ease.
The archetypal student-teacher romance is cleverly turned on its head for the post-#MeToo era in this striking new play by the acclaimed author of What a Young Wife Ought to Know and Bunny.
The archetypal student-teacher romance is cleverly turned on its head for the post-#MeToo era in this striking new play by the acclaimed author of What a Young Wife Ought to Know and Bunny.
Alfabet / alphabet is the record of Sadiqa de Meijer's transition from speaking Dutch to English.
Alfabet / alphabet is the record of Sadiqa de Meijer's transition from speaking Dutch to English.
A middle-grade novel about a girl named Firefly who is forced to rebuild her life at her aunt’s costume shop after a traumatic night separates her from her mother.
At her aunt’s costume shop, Firefly begins to ask what home and family mean.
A picture book about a boy and his grandfather visiting a trapline, where memory, land, and intergenerational connection come together.
A boy asks his grandfather what life was like on the trapline.
An English translation of Chantal Neveu’s long poem, moving through science, art, revolution, and the spaces between things to ask what it means to live together.
This long poem asks readers to let go of individuality in favor of mutuality.
Faire les sucres, au Québec, c’est exploiter une érablière.
Faire les sucres, au Québec, c’est exploiter une érablière.
Mourir ne dure qu'un instant.
Mourir ne dure qu'un instant.
ELLE je suis devenue l'ombre de moi l'ombre qui s'efface ses contours qui disparaissent dans la noirceur qui monte.
ELLE je suis devenue l'ombre de moi l'ombre qui s'efface ses contours qui disparaissent dans la noirceur qui monte.
A nonfiction portrait of northern truckers built from Serge Bouchard’s ethnographic research and transformed into a vivid account of road life, labor, and solitude.
Bouchard turns fieldwork on northern truckers into a vivid portrait of their world.
A poetic picture book in which Mila is carried back by childhood memories, while clouds become a quiet guide to where she has been and where she may go.
Clouds remind Mila of where she comes from and where she might go.
A poetry collection gathering decades of Elizabeth Smart’s work, tracing the tension between motherhood, authorship, and the difficult task of making room for a poetic voice.
Elizabeth Smart writes across decades of struggle, memory, and poetic endurance.