Ontario Creates Announces Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium Shortlist

Showcasing Ontario's Literary Excellence

Sixteen finalists represent a dynamic range of Ontario's English and French authors

TORONTO, May 5, 2026 /CNW/ - Ontario Creates, an agency of the Government of Ontario, has announced the 16 finalists for the 2026 Trillium Book Awards/Prix Trillium, celebrating the best in English and French literature by Ontario authors.

The Trillium Book Awards/Prix Trillium celebrates the writers and stories that echo the depth, diversity, and imagination of Ontario's many voices. Spanning short stories, memoir, novel, poetry, and nonfiction, this year's selected finalists showcase the vitality and breadth of the province's literary talent.

English-language Finalists for the Trillium Book Award

• Suddenly Light by Nina Dunic
• We, the Kindling by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek
• You Will Not Kill Our Imagination: A Memoir of Palestine and Writing in Dark Times by Saeed Teebi
• We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture by Rick Westhead
• Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang

English-language Poetry Finalists for the Trillium Book Award

• ShadowPrice by Farah Ghafoor
• The World AfterRain by Canisia Lubrin
• Revolutions by Hajer Mirwali

French-language Finalists for the Prix Trillium

• Mes morts jeune by Sylvie Bérard
• Des silences et des murmures by Maéva Guedjeu
• Les visages de Rembrandt by Alain Bernard Marchand
• Maman bleue by Sarah Migneron
• L'équation avant la nuit by Blaise Ndala

French-language Poetry Finalists for the Prix de Poésie Trillium

• Haus by Lisa L'Heureux
• L'épingle filante by Noémie Roy
• En terrain miné by Véronique Sylvain

The Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium winners will be announced during an award ceremony on June 10, 2026. Please visit the Trillium Book Award webpage and social channels to explore and celebrate these authors and their literary works.

QUOTE

"The Trillium Book Award celebrates the writers and publishers who call Ontario home. Their work deepens our understanding of one another, enriches Ontario's cultural landscape, and strengthens our literary sector. Readers everywhere are encouraged to discover these remarkable stories and champion homegrown talent. Congratulations to all the finalists."

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 $2,500 for the marketing and promotion of the titles.
• Three titles are short-listed for each of the English and French-language poetry categories, t which recognize literary achievement for a first, second or third published work of poetry. English and French-language Poetry Award recipients will receive $10,000 and their respective publishers will receive support to promote the winning titles.
• Now in its 39^th 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 writing.
• In 2006, the French language awards were enhanced such that the Trillium Book Award for Poetry in French language is awarded every two years, with eligible titles over the two years considered for the Award.
• 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 produce 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

ontariocreates.ca
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