Governor General's Award for French-language children's literature
がゔぁなー・じぇねらるしょう（ふらんすご じどうぶんがくぶもん）
An annual Canadian literary award presented to the author of the best French-language children's book, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts with a prize of CA$25,000.
- Established
- 1975
- Organizer
- Canada Council for the Arts
- Category
- Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
- Selection Method
- Recommendation
- Target
- Professional
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Announcement Period
- around November
- Status
- Active
Description
The Governor General's Award for French-language children's literature is an annual literary award given to authors of children's books written in French in Canada, and is one of the children's literature categories of the Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit. It is administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. The predecessor children's literature award was established in 1975 by the Canada Council as the "Canada Council Children's Literature Prizes," and from 1987 it was incorporated into the framework of the Governor General's Awards, but it has been recognizing French-language children's literature annually since 1975.
Prize
- Main Prize
- Winners receive a cash prize and honor. At the time of establishment (1975), the prize money was CA$5,000.
- Cash Prize
- 5,000 CAD
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary selection (nominee selection) | Selection committees (multiple) appointed by the Canada Council for the Arts | — | Finalists are usually announced in October (may vary by year). |
| Final selection (winner determination) | The winning work is determined through discussion and voting by the same selection committee | — | Winners are usually announced in November. |
Criteria
- Literary achievement
- Creativity and originality
- Suitability for children and fit for target age
- Quality of expression in French
- Importance and universality of themes or subjects
Application Tips
Dos
- Apply with completed published works (or entries via publishers)
- Thoroughly proofread and edit the French language
- Clearly specify the target age and consider expressions and structure for children
- Enhance originality and literary merit
- Read past winners and finalists to grasp trends
Don''ts
- Do not submit incomplete manuscripts or poorly proofread ones
- Do not fail to follow submission guidelines (format or method violations)
- Do not plagiarize others' works or infringe copyrights
- Do not submit English works to the French-language category
From Judges
- Precision and unique voice in language expression (French) are important
- Demonstrate consideration for child readers (structure and word choice suited to target age)
- Story originality and theme universality are evaluated
- Editing quality (typesetting, proofreading) impacts winning chances
Related Awards
- Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration
- Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature
- Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration
- Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit
- Canada Council Children's Literature Prize (historical name)