2021 Alberta Literary Awards Shortlist
The Writers’ Guild of Alberta has announced the shortlist for the 2021 Alberta Literary Awards, Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize, and 2020 City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize. Each year, the Alberta Literary Awards, the City of Edmonton and The City of Calgary recognize and celebrate the highest standards of literary excellence from Alberta authors.
Details for the upcoming Virtual Readings with the Finalists and the Alberta Literary Awards Gala will be announced on the Writers’ Guild of Alberta website and social media, and also here on Read Alberta. Details for the presentation of The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize will be available at calgary.ca/calgaryawards.
The juries deliberated on more than 250 submissions to select the following 30 finalists in ten categories. Finalists represent excellence in literary work written by Alberta authors and published or created in 2020.
Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry
(Sponsored by Stephan V. Benediktson)
Bertrand Bickersteth 
Published: Apr 01, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732794
Kat Cameron
Published: Feb 18, 2020 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772125092
Amy LeBlanc 
Published: Feb 01, 2020 by Gordon Hill Press
ISBN: 9781928171973
Wilfrid Eggleston Award for Nonfiction
(Supported by Vivian Hansen)
Timothy Caulfield 
Published: Dec 01, 2020 by Penguin Canada
ISBN: 9780735236325
Harnarayan Singh 
Published: Sep 22, 2020 by McClelland & Stewart
ISBN: 9780771073892
Annette Lapointe 
Published: Dec 30, 2020 by Anvil Press
ISBN: 9781772141511
Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction
Katie Bickell 
Published: Sep 29, 2020 by TouchWood Editions
ISBN: 9781927366912
Will Ferguson 
Published: Sep 01, 2020 by Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781982139698
Annette Lapointe 
Published: Dec 30, 2020 by Anvil Press
ISBN: 9781772141511
James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction
(Supported by Marilyn and Bob Stallworthy)
- Tim Bowling (Edmonton) – “The Floating Library” (Queen’s Quarterly)
- Omar Mouallem (Edmonton) – “January 8, 2020” (Edify Magazine)
- Deborah Waldman (Edmonton) – “The Boys of Summer” (Tablet Magazine)
Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Story
(Sponsored by the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society)
- Gabe Calderon (Edmonton) – “Andwànikàdjigan” (Arsenal Pulp Press)
- Lee Kvern (Calgary) – “Players” (Grain Magazine)
- Stephanie Tamagi (Edmonton) – “Fur Hat” (Exile Quarterly)
The 2021 Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize Finalists
Anne Wheeler 
Published: Oct 15, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774390016
Tyler Enfield 
Published: Mar 03, 2020 by Goose Lane Editions
ISBN: 9781773101309
- Beth Sanders – Nest City: How Citizens Serve Cities and Cities Serve Citizens (POPULUS Community Planning Inc.)
The 2020 City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize Finalists
Bertrand Bickersteth 
Published: Apr 01, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732794
Will Ferguson 
Published: Sep 01, 2020 by Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781982139698
Alexandra Latos 
Published: Sep 29, 2020 by HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780358067757
R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature
(Sponsored by Under the Arch Youth Foundation at The Calgary Foundation)
Alison Hughes 
Published: Mar 05, 2019 by Orca Book Publishers
ISBN: 9781459817067
Natalie Meisner 
Published: Apr 08, 2019 by Nimbus Publishing
ISBN: 9781771087414
Kim Smith 
Published: Sep 03, 2019 by HarperCollins
ISBN: 9781443456111
Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award
- Jannie Edwards (Edmonton) – “Meditations on Tenderness in a Time of Plague”
- Peter Midgley (Edmonton) – “Bird”
- Barbara Scott (Calgary) – “Black Diamond”
Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama
(Sponsored by Alberta Views Magazine)
- Ellen Chorley (Edmonton) – Everybody Loves Robbie
- Matthew Mackenzie (Edmonton) – Bears
- Clem Martini (Calgary) – Cantata
“No Definition of Alberta Culture is complete without recognizing the herculean efforts of Alberta publishers to bring the prodigious talents of Canadian writers to eager readers everywhere.”
~ Steve Budnarchuk, Audreys Books