Kobo has just announced the short list and the winners will be announced in late June. The award was created with the intention of bringing literary recognition, and kick-starting the careers of debut Canadian authors. A $10,000 CAD cash prize will be awarded to a book in each of three categories: Nonfiction, Literary Fiction and Genre Fiction (Speculative Fiction this year). In addition, each winning author receives promotional, marketing and ongoing communications support throughout 2020.
After hundreds of applications, the 2020 shortlist was selected by Kobo’s team of expert booksellers, who read each book, and considered customer ratings and reviews. The shortlist comprises five to six books from each category, and now three bestselling Canadian author judges have the difficult task of choosing the winners.
Nonfiction
- South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels by Meaghan Marie Hackinen, published by NeWest Press
- All We Knew But Couldn’t Say by Joanne Vannicola
- From The Ashes by Jesse Thistle
- Heavy Flow: Breaking the Curse of Menstruation by Amanda Laird
- The Stone Frigate by Kate Armstrong
- Before the Lights Go Out by Sean Fitz-Gerald
Literary Fiction
- Frying Plantain by Zalika-Reid Benta
- Benediction by Oliver Dufault
- The Melting Queen by Bruce Cinnamon
- Only Pretty Damned by Niall Howell
- Making It Home by Alison DeLory
- Crow by Amy Spurway,
Speculative Fiction
- The Gatherer by Colleen Winter
- Shadow Stitcher by Misha Handman
- Different Beasts by J.R. McConvey
- A Broken Winter by Kale Night
- A Vow Owed by S.R. Pandi-Perumal
