Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic

さんばーすとしょう（かなだげんそうぶんがくしょう）

Annual literary award for Canadian speculative literature (SF, fantasy, etc.). Established in 2001.

Speculative fictionNovelShort storyYoung adult

Established: 2001
Organizer: Sunburst Award Society
Category: Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around September–October
Status: Active

Description

Sunburst Award (Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic) is an annual literary award targeting Canadian speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror, etc.). First awarded in 2001, with Young Adult category added in 2008 and Short Story category in 2016. Winners are selected by a jury assembled each year; novel winner receives CA$1,000, short story winner receives CA$500 and a medallion. Eligible works are those published in the previous year (January 1 to December 31) by Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Activities suspended since 2020 due to COVID-19.

Prize

Main Prize: CA$1,000 (novel) / CA$500 (short story) and medallion
Cash Prize: 1,000 CAD

CA$500 (short story)
Medallion (commemorative medal)

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Nomination/Submission	Secretariat receives submissions and nominations from publishers, authors, etc.	—	Longlist (if exists) published on official website, etc.
Shortlist (final candidates)	Jury assembled each year narrows down from longlist	—	Shortlist announced on official website and related media
Final selection (winner determination)	Jury finally selects winning work	—	Announced on official website and at winner announcement (e.g., September to October)

Nomination/Submission

Judges Secretariat receives submissions and nominations from publishers, authors, etc.

Announcement Longlist (if exists) published on official website, etc.

Shortlist (final candidates)

Judges Jury assembled each year narrows down from longlist

Announcement Shortlist announced on official website and related media

Final selection (winner determination)

Judges Jury finally selects winning work

Announcement Announced on official website and at winner announcement (e.g., September to October)

Criteria

Quality of speculative elements (SF, fantasy, horror, etc.)
Literary quality (prose, structure, depth of themes)
Originality and innovation
Suitability for each category (novel, short story, young adult)
Eligibility (published previous year, Canadian citizen or permanent resident)

Application Tips

Dos

Always check entry requirements (publication period, author eligibility)
Submit according to submission format and deadline on official website
Clearly specify work's genre (SF, fantasy, etc.) and target category
Prepare documents showing publication date and author eligibility (publishing information)
Refer to past winners and nominees to understand trends

Don''ts

Do not submit works that do not meet eligibility (Canadian citizen/permanent resident, previous year publication)
Do not submit in format contrary to requirements or incompletely
Do not falsify work or author information
Do not duplicate submit to multiple categories in violation of rules

From Judges

Emphasis on clear, consistent world-building and strong writing style
High evaluation for balance of originality and literary quality
Evaluation points differ for short story and novel (short story: precise structure; novel: character development and structure)
Strictly adhere to submission format and deadline