Ontario Creates Announces 16 Trillium Book Award / Prix Trillium Finalists

Finalist titles showcase Ontario’s abundant literary talent

TORONTO | May 6, 2025 | Ontario Creates, an agency of the government of Ontario, is proud to announce the 16 finalists for the 2025 Trillium Book Awards / Prix Trillium, the province’s prestigious literary prize for English and French-language Ontario authors.

Now in its 38^th year, the Trillium Book Award / Prix Trillium has a long tradition of recognizing literary excellence. The 2025 finalists make up a diverse and exciting library of Ontario books, highlighting this year’s best homegrown literature and creating a top-notch “Read Ontario” booklist to discover – from novels to poetry to non-fiction and more.

English-language Finalists for the Trillium Book Award:

• Wild Houses, Colin Barrett, McClelland & Stewart / Penguin Random House Canada
• My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines and the Battles That Made Us, Morgan Campbell, McClelland & Stewart / Penguin Random House Canada
• Code Noir, Canisia Lubrin, Alfred A. Knopf Canada / Penguin Random House Canada
• Who Will Bury You? And Other Stories, Chido Muchemwa, Astoria / House of Anansi Press
• I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together, Maurice Vellekoop, Random House Canada / Penguin Random House Canada

English-language Finalists for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry:

• The Seventh Town of Ghosts, Faith Arkorful, McClelland & Stewart / Penguin Random House Canada
• DADDY, Jake Byrne, Brick Books
• Terrarium, Matthew Walsh, icehouse poetry / Goose Lane Editions

French-language Finalists for the Prix Trillium:

• Céline au Congo, Aristote Kavungu, Les Éditions du Boréal
• Toronto jamais bleue, Marie-Hélène Larochelle (Leméac Éditeur)
• Le prince africain, le traducteur et le nazi, Didier Leclair (Éditions David)
• Un lourd prix à payer, Claire Ménard-Roussy (Éditions David)
• Nickel City Fifs : Une épopée queer sudburoise sur fond de trous, Alex Tétreault (Prise de parole)

French-language Finalists for the Prix du livre jeunesse Trillium:

• Rose du désert, Michèle Laframboise (Éditions David)
• Le roi Poubelle, Eudes La Roche-Francoeur (Prise de parole)
• Le bonnet magique, Mireille Messier (Comme des géants)

The Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium winners will be announced during an award ceremony on June 18, 2025. We invite you to visit our website and join us on our social channels to celebrate these authors and their literary works.

QUOTES

“The Trillium Book Awards showcase Ontario’s artistic and cultural vibrancy. Amplifying their creative contributions, Ontario authors and publishers drive local economic growth, generating $980M and supporting over 6,000 jobs. Discover and champion this year’s finalists by visiting local bookstores and libraries, and ‘Read Ontario’ to make an investment in both our cultural sovereignty and economic vitality.”
~ Aaron Campbell, Chair, Ontario Creates

QUICK FACTS

• The Trillium Book Award / Prix Trillium encourages excellence in literature by investing in Ontario-based writers. Award recipients receive $20,000 and their respective publishers receive support to promote the winning titles.
• Three titles are short-listed for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry in the English language, which recognizes literary achievement for a first, second or third published work of poetry. Award recipients will receive $10,000 and their respective publishers receive support to promote the winning titles.
• Le Prix du livre jeunesse Trillium (en langue française) was introduced in the 20th Trillium year, and is awarded in alternating years with le Prix de poésie Trillium. Titles published over a two-year period are eligible, encouraging a greater number of submissions for these specific genre awards in the French language. Both awards provide a $10,000 prize.
• Previous winners include internationally acclaimed authors as Stuart Ross, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Dionne Brand, Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, Thomas King, Gilles Lacombe, Marguerite Andersen, Andrée Lacelle, Diya Lim, Lisa L’Heureux and François Paré to name a few.
• Ontario is home to the country’s largest book publishing industry, contributing $980M to our economy and supporting over 6,000 jobs each year. The publishing industry is both culturally significant and an economic driving force for the province.

LEARN MORE

Ontario Creates is proud to deliver the Trillium Book Awards each year. The Ontario government established the Trillium Book Award in 1987 to recognize excellence, support marketing and foster increased public awareness of the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and their works.

Ontario Creates is an agency of the Government of Ontario that facilitates economic development, investment and collaboration in Ontario’s creative industries including the music, book, magazine, film, television and interactive digital media sectors.

Media contact:

Katie Duklas
Media Profile
katie.duklas@mediaprofile.com

Jennifer Pountney, Manager of Communications
Ontario Creates
JPountney@ontariocreates.ca
416-642-6632

ontariocreates.ca
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