2022 Alberta Book Publishing Awards Winners
The winners of the 2022 Alberta Book Publishing Awards have been announced! These awards celebrate the essential role Alberta book publishers play in supporting authors and telling Alberta’s story. As the critical middle piece of the storytelling process, Alberta book publishers bring stories by Alberta authors to life.
The awards gala was hosted at the Hotel Arts in Calgary and was the BPAA’s first in-person event in over two years. At this year’s gala, Carol Holmes, former executive director of the Writers Guild of Alberta, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement in Publishing Award for her long-standing contributions to Alberta’s literary and publishing community. Laberinto Press and publisher Luciana Erregue Sacchi were also recognized with the Emerging Publisher of the Year Award.
For those that were unable to attend, a recording of the awards gala will be available on the BPAA YouTube Channel in a few weeks.
Click on the publisher name next to each winning book listed below to find more information about that title. And click the “Shop Local” button at the top of the list, to find your local, independent bookstore.
Congratulations to all the winning and shortlisted publishers, authors, and designers!
Find a bookstore near you:
Douglas Barbour Award for Speculative Fiction
Tyche Books, for Water edited by Rhonda Parrish
Water: Selkies, Sirens, & Sea Monsters
Edited by Rhonda Parrish
Published; August 9, 2021 by Tyche Books
ISBN: 9781989407271
Learning
Brush Education, for Introduction to Early Childhood Education and Care by Carole Massing and Mary Lynne Matheson
Carole Massing
, Mary Lynne Matheson 
Published: Jul 06, 2021 by Brush Education
ISBN: 9781550598841
Trade Fiction
Freehand Books, for The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour by Dawn Dumont
Dawn Dumont 
Published: Sep 27, 2021 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781988298870
Graphic Novel
Renegade Arts Entertainment, for Electric Vice by Kat Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen
Kyle Simmers
, Ryan Danny Owen
Published: Oct 19, 2021 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781988903859
Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry
University of Alberta Press, for The Bad Wife by Micheline Maylor
Micheline Maylor 
Published: Mar 09, 2021 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772125481
Book Illustration
Durvile & UpRoute Books, for The River Troll written and illustrated by Rich Théroux
Rich Théroux 
Published: Feb 15, 2022 by Durvile Publications
ISBN: 9781988824949
Trade Non-Fiction
University of Alberta Press, for Impact edited by E.D. Morin and Jane Cawthorne
Published: Sep 07, 2021 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772125818
Regional
Athabasca University Press, for Bucking Conservatism edited by Leon Crane Bear, Larry Hannant, and Karissa Robyn Patton
Published: Nov 30, 2021 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771992572
Scholarly and Academic
Athabasca University Press, for Regime of Obstruction edited by William K. Carroll
Published: Apr 15, 2021 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771992893
Book Cover Design
Freehand Books, for The Party Is Here by Georgina Beaty, cover design by Natalie Olsen (Kisscut Design)
Georgina Beaty 
Published: Sep 27, 2021 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781988298931
Book Design
NeWest Press, for Coconut by Nisha Patel, designed by Natalie Olsen (Kisscut Design)
Nisha Patel 
Published: Apr 01, 2021 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774390238
University of Alberta Press, for On Foot To Canterbury by Ken Haigh, designed by Alan Brownoff
Ken Haigh 
Published: Sep 16, 2021 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772125450
Children’s & YA
Red Barn Books, for Alberta Blue by Pat Hatherly, illustrated by Jesse Horne
Pat Hatherly 
Published: Oct 10, 2021 by Red Barn Books
ISBN: 9781989915028
“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