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Trillium Book Award Submission

About Trillium Book Award

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.

This prestigious Award is the province’s leading award for literature. The quality of Ontario authors and writing speaks for itself with the international acclaim achieved by past Trillium winners including Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Timothy Findley and Anne Michaels. In 1994, the prize was expanded to include the Prix Trillium, a separate award for Ontario’s francophone writers and their publishers.

The award given to the author of each winning book is $20,000 and their publishers receive $2,500 for the marketing and promotion of the titles. In 2003, there was a further enhancement to the traditional Trillium Book Award with the creation of the new Trillium Book Award for Poetry for new and emerging poets. A first, second or third work by a poet is eligible and each award recipient receives $10,000 and $2,000 is given to the winning publishers.

In 2006 the awards in the French language 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. The Trillium Book Award for Children’s Literature in French language is offered in the alternate years that the Poetry French language award is not given out. Similar to the Trillium Book Award for Poetry, the award recipient receives $10,000 and $2,000 is given to the winning publisher. The Trillium Award is open to books in any genre: fiction, non-fiction, drama, children’s books and poetry. Anthologies and translations are not eligible. A jury of writers and figures from the literary community judges all submissions and selects the winning titles.

Trillium round badge

Key Dates & Funding Deadlines

November 8, 2025 -

For titles published between January - October 2025

January 31, 2026 -

For titles published in November and December 2025

  • One (1) eBook of each title in EPUB or PDF format must be uploaded to Ontario Creates’ online submission form
  • Two (2) paper copies of each title must be submitted along with a hard copy completed submission form

2025 Finalists

ALIGHT Zackary Book Cover

2024 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

More Sure, A. Light Zachary, Arsenal Pulp Press

Nicolas Weinberg Book Cover

2024 Trillium Book Award (French)

Vivre ou Presque, Nicolas Weinberg, Éditions L'Interligne

Nina Dunic Book Cover

2024 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Clarion, Nina Dunic, Invisible Publishing

Laframboise Micele Book Covers

2023 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

Le secret de Paloma, Michèle Laframboise, Éditions David

Sanna Wani Book Cover

2023 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

My Grief, the Sun, Sanna Wani, House of Anansi Press

Gilles Lacombe Book Cover

2023 Trillium Book Award (French)

Circé des hirondelles, Gilles Lacombe, Éditions L'Interligne

Stuart Ross Book Cover

2023 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Book of Grief and Hamburgers, Stuart Ross, ECW Press

La Duchesse Chloe Cover

2022 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Exosquelette, Chloé LaDuchesse, Mémoire d'encrier

Sinaee Bardia Cover

2022 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Intruder, Bardia Sinaee, House of Anansi Press

Marinier Robert Cover

2022 Trillium Book Award (French)

Un conte de l’apocalypse, Robert Marinier, Éditions Prise de parole

Shin Ann Cover

2022 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Last Exiles, Ann Shin, Park Row / Harlequin Trade Publishing

Book Éric Mathieu Capitaine Boudu et les enfants de la Cédille Éditions L Interligne FRE11

2021 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

Capitaine Boudu et les enfants de la Cédille, Éric Mathieu, Éditions L'Interligne

Book Jody Chan sick Black Lawrence Press ENG3

2021 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Sick, Jody Chan, Black Lawarence Press

Book Danièle Vallée Sept nuits dans la vie de Chérie Éditions David FRE15

2021 Trillium Book Award (French)

Sept nuits dans la vie de Chérie, Danièle Vallée, Éditions David

Book Souvankham Thammavongsa How to Pronounce Knife Mc Clelland Stewart ENG15

2021 Trillium Book Award (English)

How to Pronounce Knife, Souvankham Thammavongsa, McClelland & Stewart

Sylvain Véronique Premier quart COVER

2020 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Premier quart, Véronique Sylvain, Prise de parole

Bennett Roxanna Unmeaningable COVER

2020 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Unmeaningable, Roxanna Bennett, Gordon Hill Press

Ruban Paul Crevaison en corbillard COVER

2020 Trillium Book Award (French)

Crevaison en corbillard, Paul Ruban, Flammarion Québec

Mutonji Téa Shut Up Youre Pretty COVER

2020 Trillium Book Award (English)

Shut Up You're Pretty, Téa Mutonji, VS. Books/Arsenal Pulp Press

Lim Diya La marchande la sorci à re la lune et moi

2019 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

La marchande, la sorcière, la lune et moi, Diya Lim, Les Éditions L'Interligne

Richardson Robin Sit How You Want COVER

2019 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Sit How You Want, Robin Richardson, Signal Editions/Véhicule Press

L Heureux Lisa Et si un soir COVER

2019 Trillium Book Award (French)

Et si un soir, Lisa L’Heureux, Prise de parole

Brand Dionne The Blue Clerk COVER

2019 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Blue Clerk, Dionne Brand, McClelland & Stewart

Oubliez

2018 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Oubliez, Sylvie Bérard, Éditions Prise de parole

Class Clown

2018 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Class Clown, Pino Coluccio, Bibioasis

Sous le soleil de midi

2018 Trillium Book Award (French)

Sous le soleil de midi, Aurélie Resch, Éditions Prise de parole

Birds Art Life

2018 Trillium Book Award (English)

Birds Art Life, Kyo Maclear, Doubleday Canada

Ski Blanch et avalanche

2017 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

Ski, Blanche et avalanche, Pierre-Luc Bélanger, Éditions David

Yes or Nope

2017 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Yes or Nope, Meaghan Strimas, Mansfield Press

La mesure du temps

2017 Trillium Book Award (French)

La Mesure du temps, Jean Boisjoli, Éditions Prise de parole

The Sweetest One

2017 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Sweetest One, Melanie Mah, Cormorant Books

Neuvaines

2016 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Neuvaines, David Ménard, Les Éditions L'Interligne

Tell

2016 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Tell: poems for a girlhood, Soraya Peerbaye, Pedlar Press

Marjorie Chalifoux

2016 Trillium Book Award (French)

Marjorie Chalifoux, Véronique-Marie Kaye, Éditions Prise de parole

Debris

2016 Trillium Book Award (English)

Debris, Kevin Hardcastle, Biblioasis

Mauvaise mine

2015 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

Mauvaise mine, Micheline Marchand, Les Éditions L'Interligne

Brom Broom

2015 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Broom Broom, Brecken Hancock, Coach House Books

Violoncelle pour luned automne

2015 Trillium Book Award (French)

Violoncelle pour lune d’automne, Michel Dallaire, Les Éditions L’Interligne

How You Were Born

2015 Trillium Book Award (English)

How You Were Born, Kate Cayley, Pedlar Press

Rever au reel

2014 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Rêver au réel, Daniel Groleau Landry, Les Éditions L’Interligne

Light

2014 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Light, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Pedlar Press

Mauvaise mine

2014 Trillium Book Award (French)

La mauvaise mère, Marguerite Andersen, Éditions Prise de parole

This is War

2014 Trillium Book Award (English)

This is War, Hannah Moscovitch, Playwrights Canada Press/ Banff Centre Press

Un moine trop bavard

2013 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

Un moine trop bavard, Claude Forand, Éditions David

Probably Inevitable

2013 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Probably Inevitable, Matthew Tierney, Coach House Books

Bleu b à mol

2013 Trillium Book Award (French)

Bleu bémol, Paul Savoie, Éditions David

Dear Life Stories

2013 Trillium Book Award (English)

Dear Life: Stories, Alice Munro, McClelland & Stewart

A tire d ailes

2012 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

À tire d’ailes, Sonia Lamontagne, Éditions Prise de parole

Earworm

2012 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Earworm, Nick Thran, Nightwood Editions

Jeudi Novembre

2012 Trillium Book Award (French)

Jeudi Novembre, Michèle Vinet, Éditions Prise de parole

Killdeer

2012 Trillium Book Award (English)

Killdeer, Phil Hall, BookThug

La premi à re guerre de Toronto

2011 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

La première guerre de Toronto, Daniel Marchildon, Éditions David

Tiny Frantic Stronger

2011 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Tiny, Frantic, Stronger, Jeff Latosik, Insomniac Press

Un souffle venu de loin

2011 Trillium Book Award (French)

Un souffle venu de loin, Estelle Beauchamp, Éditions prise de parole

The Amazing Absorbing Boy

2011 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Amazing, Absorbing Boy, Rabindranath Maharaj, Knopf Canada

Passerelles

2010 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Passerelles, Michèle Matteau, Les Éditions L’Interligne

Pigeon

2010 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Pigeon, Karen Solie, House of Anansi Press

Deux Cercles

2010 Trillium Book Award (French)

Deux Cercles, Ryad Assani-Razaki, VLB éditeur

The Boy in the Moon

2010 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Boy in the Moon, Ian Brown, Random House Canada

Les Rebuts Hockey 2

2009 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

Les Rebuts: Hockey 2, Paul Prud’Homme, Les Éditions du Vermillon

Crabwise to the Hounds

2009 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Crabwise to the Hounds, Jeremy Dodds, Coach House Books

Le figuier sur le toit

2009 Trillium Book Award (French)

Le figuier sur le toit, Marguerite Andersen, Les Éditions L’Interligne

The Withdrawal Method

2009 Trillium Book Award (English)

The Withdrawal Method, Pasha Malla, House of Anansi Press

Poils lisses

2008 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Poils lisses, Tina Charlebois, Les Éditions L’Interligne

Human Resources

2008 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Human Resources, Rachel Zolf, Coach House Books

Loeil de la lumiere

2008 Trillium Book Award (French)

L’Œil de la lumière, Pierre Raphaël Pellitier, Les Éditions L’Interligne

Helpless

2008 Trillium Book Award (English)

Helpless, Barbara Gowdy, HarperCollins Canada

Poupeska

2007 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature

Poupeska, Françoise Lepage, Les Éditions L’Interligne

Crac

2007 Trillium Book Award (French)

Crac, Paul Savoie, Les Éditions David

La passion des nomades

2007 Trillium Book Award (French)

La passion des nomades, Daniel Castillo Durante, XYZ Éditeur

Fabrizios Return

2007 Trillium Book Award (English)

Fabrizio’s Return, Mark Frutkin, Knopf Canada

Centrifuge

2006 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (French)

Centrifuge, Éric Charlebois, Les Éditions David

Drift

2006 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

drift, Kevin Connolly, House of Anansi Press

L Agonie des dieux

2006 Trillium Book Award (French)

L'Agonie des dieux, Jean Mohsen Fahmy, Les Éditions L'Interligne

Sweetness in The Belly

2006 Trillium Book Award (English)

Sweetness in The Belly, Camilla Gibb, Doubleday Canada

Drowning Lessons

2005 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English)

Drowning Lessons, Maureen Scott Harris, Pedlar Press

Un vendredi du mois d aout

2005 Trillium Book Award (French)

Un vendredi du mois d’août, Antonio D’Alfonso, Lemeac Éditeur

All That Matters

2005 Trillium Book Award (English)

All That Matters, Wayson Choy, Doubleday Canada

Enquiries

Bianca Spence

Program Consultant, Industry Development

Phone: 416-642-6698

bspence@ontariocreates.ca