Canadian Authors Celebrated at Writers’ Trust Awards Tonight

TORONTO – This evening, the annual Writers’ Trust Awards will celebrate some of the most prominent voices in Canadian literature. Hosted by Mattea Roach, the ceremony will take place in Toronto and feature the presentation of significant cash prizes to outstanding authors across various categories.

The awards include the $70,000 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the $75,000 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. This year, the competition for the fiction prize features notable works such as “Graveyard Shift at the Lemonade Stand” by Tim Bowling and “Simple Creatures” by Robert McGill. Other contenders include “We, the Kindling” by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek, “Endling” by Maria Reva, and “Julius Julius” by Aurora Stewart de Peña.

Exceptional Nonfiction Finalists

The nonfiction category showcases a diverse array of stories and insights. Finalists include Miriam Toews for “A Truce That Is Not Peace,” Omar El Akkad for “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” Tessa McWatt for “The Snag: A Mother, A Forest, and Wild Grief,” Vinh Nguyen for “The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse,” and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson for “Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead.”

The ceremony, which will be livestreamed, is set to commence at 18:30 (6:30 PM). Attendees and viewers can expect an evening filled with storytelling, recognition, and celebration of the literary arts in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 13, 2025.