Alberta Literary Awards facts for kids

The Alberta Literary Awards are special prizes given every year to amazing writers from Alberta, Canada. These awards started in 1982. They celebrate great books and stories in different types of writing. This includes fiction, true stories (nonfiction), poems, plays, and even books for kids! The Writers Guild of Alberta helps organize these awards. In 1994, the first Golden Pen Lifetime Achievement Award was given to W. O. Mitchell.

Alberta Literary Awards

Awards for Different Kinds of Writing

R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature

This award is for children's books! It changes each year between picture books and chapter books. For example, one year it might be for a picture book, and the next year for a chapter book. It honors an Alberta author who wrote a great children's book.

Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction

This award is for a novel or a collection of short stories. It goes to an Alberta author whose book was published in the past year. Many famous writers have won this award. Some past winners include W. P. Kinsella, Pauline Gedge, Aritha van Herk, Thomas King, Greg Hollingshead, Richard Wagamese, Fred Stenson, Thomas Wharton, Tim Bowling, Rudy Wiebe, and Deborah Willis.

Wilfrid Eggleston Award for Nonfiction

This award is for a nonfiction book. Nonfiction means it's a true story or about real facts. It's given to an Alberta author whose nonfiction book was published in the past year.

Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama

This award is for a play. It's given to an Alberta author whose play was either published or performed in the past year.

Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry

This award is for a collection of poems. It honors an Alberta author whose poetry book was published in the past year.

James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction

This award is for a great short piece of nonfiction. It's given to an Alberta author for a true story or article published in the past year.

Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Story

This award is for a single, outstanding short story. It's given to an Alberta author whose short story was published in the past year. Some past winners include Cecelia Frey, Merna Summers, W.O. Mitchell, Greg Hollingshead, Rosemary Nixon, Fred Wah, Thomas Wharton, Leslie Greentree, Rudy Wiebe, and Norma Dunning.

Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award

This award is named after the writer Jon Whyte. It has been given since 1992 for an amazing essay that has not been published yet. It goes to an Alberta author.

Special Book Prizes

Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize

The City of Edmonton started this book prize in 1995. The Writers Guild of Alberta helps manage it. In 2011, it was renamed after Robert Kroetsch. He was a famous writer known for his novel The Studhorse Man.

City of Calgary W. O. Mitchell Book Prize

This prize is part of the Calgary Awards. It honors the well-known Calgary writer W. O. Mitchell. The award celebrates great writing by authors from Calgary. It started in 1996. The City of Calgary and the Writers' Guild of Alberta work together on this prize. Past winners include Andrew Nikiforuk, Rona Altrows, Suzette Mayr, and Marcello Di Cintio.

Golden Pen Award

The Golden Pen Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the amazing writing careers of Alberta authors. It's given to writers who have achieved a lot over their lifetime. The 2019 award went to Bob Stallworthy. Other past winners include W. O. Mitchell, Rudy Wiebe, Robert Kroetsch, Merna Summers, Aritha van Herk, Fred Stenson (writer), Alice Major, and Greg Hollingshead.

The Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write

Since 2018, the Writers' Guild of Alberta has given three scholarships each year. These scholarships help First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Mothers with their writing careers.

Past Awards

Some awards were given in the past but are no longer active. These include:

• Alberta Screenwriters Initiative
• Amber Bowerman Memorial Travel Writing Award
• Henry Kreisel Award for Best First Book
• Sharon Drummond Chapbook Prize
• Youth/Emerging Writing Contest