Organized by the West Coast Book Prize Society, the BC and Yukon Book Prizes celebrate the achievements of writers, illustrators, and publishers from the two respective provinces. The prizes are presented annually at the BC and Yukon Book Prizes Gala and are administered and awarded by members of a non-profit society who represent all facets of the publishing and writing community. Winners in the awards’ eight categories will be announced at a gala in Vancouver on September 28, 2026.
The shortlists from B.C. publishers, authors, and illustrators are:
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize for literary fiction
- Rufous and Calliope by Sarah Louise Butler, Douglas & McIntyre
- Contemplation of a Crime by Susan Juby, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
- The Last Exile by Sam Wiebe, Harbour Publishing
- Tunnel Island: Stories by Bill Gaston, Thistledown Press
- Endling by Maria Reva, Knopf Canada
Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize
- No Judgement: And Other Busking Stories by Phillip Seagram, Caitlin Press
- We Survived the Night: An Indigenous Reckoning by Julian Brave Noisecat, Knopf Canada
- Meltdown: The Making and Breaking of a Field Scientist by Sarah Boon, University of Alberta Press
- Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong by Larry Grant with Scott Steedman, ECW Press
- Crackdown: Surviving and Resisting the War on Drugs by Garth Mullins, Doubleday Canada
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize
- Searching for Serafim: The Life and Legacy of Serafim “Joe” Fortes by Ruby Smith Diaz, Arsenal Pulp Press
- Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong by Larry Grant with Scott Steedman, ECW Press
- Once upon This Land: Archaeology in British Columbia and the Stories It Tells by Robert J. Muckle, UBC Press, Purich Books
- Challenging Exile: Japanese Canadians and the Wartime Constitution by Eric M. Adams and Jordan Stanger-Ross, UBC Press
- Enemy Alien by Paul Wong and Tamio Wakayama, Figure 1 Publishing
Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize
- Devotional Forensics by Joseph Kidney, icehouse poetry/Gooselane Editions
- The Book of Z by Rahat Kurd, Talonbooks
- Buzzkill Clamshell by Amber Dawn, Arsenal Pulp Press
- The Inferno by Lorna Goodison, Véhicule Press
- Boxing in the Bone Orchard by Bruce McRae, Frontenac House Ltd.
Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes
- The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee, McClelland & Stewart
- Searching for Serafim: The Life and Legacy of Serafim “Joe” Fortes by Ruby Smith Diaz, Arsenal Pulp Press
- Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games by Kawika Guillermo, Arsenal Pulp Press
- The Cree Word for Love: Sâkihitowin by Tracey Lindberg, illustrated by George Littlechild, HarperCollins Publishing Ltd.
Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize
- Celebrating Potlatches by Samantha Beynon, illustrated by Carla Joseph, Strong Nations Publishing Inc.
- Little Shoes by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Maya McKibbin, Tundra Books
- A Stronger Home by Katrina Chen and Elaine Su, illustrated by Delphie Côté-Lacroix, Orca Book Publishers
- Oasis by GuoJing, Godwin Books
- No Huddles for Heloise by Deborah Kerbel, illustrated by Udayana Lugo, Orca Book Publishers
Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize
- Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju, HarperCollins Publishing Ltd.
- A Drop in the Ocean by Lea Taranto, Arsenal Pulp Press
- I Won’t Feel This Way Forever by Kim Spencer, Orca Book Publishers
- Saving Wolfgang by Gregor Craigie, Orca Book Publishers
- Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman, Penguin Teen Canada
Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award
- Decolonization and Me: Conversations about Healing a Nation and Ourselves by Phyllis Webstad and Kristy McLeod, Medicine Wheel Publishing
- 21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation about Dismantling the Indian Act by Bob Joseph, Page Two Books
- A Season for Spies by Iona Whishaw, TouchWood Editions
- 7IDANsuu James Hart: A Monumental Practice by 7IDANsuu James Hart and Curtis Collins, Figure 1 Publishing
- The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog by Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa, Kerrie Charnley, Tsumi’tsiye Violet Elliott, Tuwuxwul’t-hw Tyrone Elliott, Andrea Fritz, Chepximiya Siyam Chief Dr. Janice George, Skwetsimeltxw Willard (Buddy) Joseph, Danielle Morsette, Michael Pavel, sałamitća Susan Pavel, Xweliqwiya Rena Point Bolton, Quwasen Debra Sparrow, Eliot White-Hill Kwulasultun, Jared Qwustenuxun Williams, Senaqwila Wyss, and Alison Ariss, Harbour Publishing
Learn more about the BC and Yukon Book Prizes on their website and stay tuned for the winners announcements on September 28, 2026.
