The Alberta Literary Awards were established in 1982 to recognize literary excellence in our province. Submissions are invited from any writer who is a resident of Alberta and are evaluated on originality, creativity, and quality of writing, as well as appropriate fit within a category. Winners are announced at our annual Alberta Literary Awards Gala.
We currently offer over $10,000 in cash prizes for the following awards:
- Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction, awarded to a published novel or short story collection
- Wilfrid Egglestone Award for Nonficiton, awarded to a published nonfiction book
- Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry, awarded to a published book of poetry
- R. Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature, awarded to a published children's picture book or juvenile/young adult book in alternating years
- Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama, awarded to a play published or produced in the year of eligibility
- Howard O'Hagan Award for Short Story, awarded to a published piece of short fiction
- James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction, awarded to a published piece of short nonfiction
- Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Prize, awarded to an unpublished essay
- Writers’ Guild of Alberta Youth/Emerging Writing Contest, awarded to an unpublished piece of fiction or nonfiction by an author under 30
We also periodically award the Golden Pen Award to recognize lifetime achievement by an Alberta author.
It has become increasingly difficult to find sponsors for the prizes. We need the support of donors to ensure the continuation of the prize amounts that our province's authors deserve for their excellence.
