Amazon.ca First Novel Award explained

The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and The Walrus to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada.[1] It has been awarded since 1976.[1]

The First Novel Award was founded by the literary magazine Books in Canada.[1] Between 1976 and 1994, the award was sponsored by SmithBooks. During this period, the award was known as the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award.[1] When SmithBooks was acquired by Chapters, it became the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award.[1]

The award was reorganized when Books in Canada was acquired by Adrian and Olga Stein in 1995. The Steins retained a first novel editor, introduced a comprehensive first novel review program, and formalized the adjudication process.

Amazon first signed on as a sponsor of the award in 2001,[2] with the award presented as the amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award through the 2000s. Full administration of the award was taken over by Amazon in 2009 and its name was changed to the current incarnation. The Amazon.com arrangement saw the prize award initially doubled to $10,000, and then increased to its current amount of $40,000, with shortlisted finalists each receiving over $6,000.

Winners and nominees

At different times in its history, the award has been presented early in the year for works published in the preceding year, late in the year for works published in the same year as the presentation, or mid-year for an eligibility period that straddled parts of both years. For clarity, the list below is organized by the year of presentation rather than the year of publication eligibility.

1970s

Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners and finalists, 1977-1979!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
1977Winner[3]
Coming Through Slaughter
Eileen McCulloughFinalist[4]
Middlewatch
Small Ceremonies
1978SandbarsWinner[5]
Sidehill GougerFinalist[6]
Child of the Morning
I Do Remember the Fall
1979AbraWinner
Finalist[7]
Disneyland, Please
Parade on an Empty Street
Hold Fast

1980s

Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners and finalists, 1980-1989!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
1980Lunar AttractionsWinner[8]
Mrs. JobFinalist
Peckertracks
Everything in the Window
Random Descent
Crossings
1981Gentle SinnersWinner[9]
Laughing WarFinalist
Seahorse
Fat Woman
1982ObasanWinner[10]
StreetheartsFinalist[11]
Final Decree
Sunday's Child
Always Tip the Dealer
1983Shoeless JoeWinner[12]
Coming for to CarryFinalist[13]
Blue
Preparing for Sabbath
1984Willie: A RomanceWinner
Tolerable Levels of ViolenceFinalist[14]
Not Working
Figures on a Wharf
1985Perdue, or How the West Was LostWinner[15]
Country of the HeartFinalist[16]
Precious
Dazzled
I Hear the Reaper's Song
1986Winner[17]
Finalist[18]
Master and Maid
Wales' Work
1987Winner[19]
MomentumFinalist[20]
Back on Tuesday
Downfall People
1988Winner[21]
Fire EyesFinalist[22]
Squatters' Island
Selakhi
1989Winner[23]
Finalist[24]
Electrical Storms
Constellations
January, February, June or July

1990s

Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners and finalists, 1990-1999!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
1990Winner[25]
To All Appearances a LadyFinalist[26]
Madeleine and the Angel
Distant Relations
1991Lives of the SaintsWinner[27]
Deadly AppearancesFinalist[28]
Grace Lake
Homework
Sniper's Moon
1992Such a Long JourneyWinner[29]
Finalist[30]
Woyzeck's Head
Kleinberg
News From a Foreign Country Came
1993Winner[31]
AmnesiaFinalist[32]
Voice-Over
Brud
Spin Dry
1994Losing EddieWinner[33]
Minus TimeFinalist[34]
Blow Up the Trumpet in the New Moon
If I Knew I'd Tell You
1995Funny BoyWinner[35]
Kitchen MusicFinalist[36]
In the Language of Love
How Insensitive
Alex & Zee
1996Popular AnatomyWinner[37]
Highways and DancehallsFinalist[38]
When Fox Is a Thousand
Daughters of the Red Land
1997Fugitive PiecesWinner[39]
Finalist[40]
Fall on Your Knees
Self
Cereus Blooms at Night
1998Opium DreamsWinner[41]
Elephant WinterFinalist[42]
Homer in Flight
Angel Falls
1999ChildhoodWinner[43]
Finalist[44]
Kiss of the Fur Queen
Beneath That Starry Place

2000s

Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners and finalists, 2000-2009!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
2000Summer GoneWinner[45]
Before the Flood
No Great MischiefFinalist[46]
Kit's Law
Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask
2001Necessary LiesWinner[47]
Finnie WalshFinalist[48]
Alice, I Think
This Place Called Absence
2002Martin SloaneWinner[49]
Finalist
River Thieves
Open Arms
Strong Hollow
Ten Good Seconds of Silence
2003Crow LakeWinner[50]
HeaveFinalist[51]
Stay
Cumberland
Spelling Mississippi
2004Black BirdWinner[52]
Finalist[53]
Kalyna's Song
Ten Thousand Lovers
Blue Becomes You
2005Some Great ThingWinner[54]
Sunday AfternoonFinalist[55]
Skinny
What's Remembered
Bishop's Road
2006Three Day RoadWinner[56]
Finalist[57]
Gotta Find Me an Angel
2007CertaintyWinner[58]
Finalist[59]
Stolen
Lullabies for Little Criminals
Empress of Asia
2008Winner[60]
SoucouyantFinalist[61]
Big White Knuckles
2009Reading by LightningWinner[62]
Chase & HavenFinalist[63]
Stunt
Red Dog, Red Dog

2010s

Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners and finalists, 2010-2019!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
2010Come, Thou TortoiseWinner[64]
No Place StrangeFinalist[65]
Goya's Dog
Diary of Interrupted Days
Daniel O'Thunder
2011Winner[66]
GhostedFinalist[67]
Ilustrado
Cool Water
Annabel
2012Winner[68]
Finalist[69]
Autobiography of Childhood
Dancing Lessons
Touch
2013MalarkyWinner[70]
YFinalist[71]
People Park
Ru
2014Emancipation DayWinner[72]
Finalist[73]
Juanita Wildrose: My True Life
Ballistics
2015All True Not a Lie in ItWinner[74]
Etta and Otto and Russell and JamesFinalist[75]
Us Conductors
New Tab
Pedal
201613 Ways of Looking at a Fat GirlWinner[76]
Book of SandsFinalist[77]
Do You Think This Is Strange?
Seep
Backspring
2017Winner[78]
White ElephantFinalist[79]
Accordéon
So Much Love
Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains
2018Winner[80]
Finalist[81]
American War
Dazzle Patterns
2019Little FishWinner[82]
Finalist[83]
Searching for Terry Punchout
Split Tooth
Jonny Appleseed
Reproduction

2020s

Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners and finalists, 2020–present!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.
2020Winner[84]
Finalist
Going Dutch
Mooncalves
Aria
When We Were Vikings
2021Five Little IndiansWinner[85]
You Are Eating an Orange. You Are Naked.Finalist[86]
Butter Honey Pig Bread
Happy Hour
Gutter Child
Vanishing Monuments
2022Ghost ForestWinner[87]
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be DeadFinalist[88]
Probably Ruby
All the Quiet Places
Avenue of Champions
We, Jane
2023The Island of ForgettingWinner[89]
A Minor ChorusFinalist[90]
In the City of Pigs
Bad Cree
Hollow Bamboo
In the Upper Country
2024And Then She FellWinner[91]
Empty SpacesFinalist[92]
As the Andes Disappeared
Tauhou
A History of Burning
The Berry Pickers

External links

Notes and References

  1. "First Novel Award helps write authors' careers: All awards are crapshoots, but for a prize that recognizes writers with little or no track record, a surprising number become successful". The Globe and Mail, May 21, 2016.
  2. "Amazon.com deal saves Canadian literary magazine from folding". Cape Breton Post, January 18, 2001.
  3. "New corporate outlook on helping writers: more cash, fewer strings". The Globe and Mail, June 7, 1977.
  4. "Two writers to share award for first novels in Canada". Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 1977.
  5. "And the winner is..." The Globe and Mail, April 1, 1978.
  6. Burt Heward, "'Best' novel tells of life in the Valley". Ottawa Citizen, April 5, 1978.
  7. William French, "Book price probe is needed". The Globe and Mail, March 27, 1979.
  8. "First-novel-award prize is increased to $5,000". The Globe and Mail, January 20, 1988.
  9. Pat Barclay, "Gentle Sinners, by W. D. Valgardson". Victoria Times-Colonist, April 17, 1981.
  10. "Kogawa wins $1,000 award". The Globe and Mail, April 2, 1982.
  11. "Note Book". Kingston Whig-Standard, March 13, 1982.
  12. "The timeless metaphors of baseball". The Globe and Mail, November 17, 1984.
  13. Beverley Slopen, "First novels". Montreal Gazette, March 12, 1983.
  14. Kenneth McGoogan, "Book battle becomes a war" Calgary Herald, March 4, 1984.
  15. "Writer from Regina wins book award". The Globe and Mail, March 29, 1985.
  16. Kenneth McGoogan, "West spawns top novels". Calgary Herald, March 10, 1985.
  17. "Lives in isolation". The Globe and Mail, January 9, 1988.
  18. Larry Scanlan, "Magazine". Kingston Whig-Standard, April 5, 1986.
  19. "Lawrence captures $3,000 literary prize". The Globe and Mail, April 3, 1987.
  20. "Short list announced for first novel award". The Globe and Mail, March 12, 1987.
  21. "BC woman (Quednau) wins first-novel award". Winnipeg Free Press, April 3, 1998.
  22. "Finalists announced in first novel contest". Toronto Star, March 1, 1988.
  23. "Salutin wins $5,000 prize". Toronto Star, March 30, 1989.
  24. Burt Heward, "First-novel short list announced". Ottawa Citizen, March 4, 1989.
  25. "Winnipeg author wins first-novel prize". Ottawa Citizen, March 30, 1990.
  26. Lynne Van Luven, "Edmontonians among finalists for first-novel award". Edmonton Journal, March 6, 1990.
  27. "Ricci novel wins second big prize". Calgary Herald, March 26, 1991.
  28. "First novel award names 6 finalists". Toronto Star, February 20, 1991.
  29. "Mistry novel earns Smith award". Halifax Daily News, March 27, 1992.
  30. "Finalists named for book award". The Globe and Mail, February 25, 1992.
  31. "Story from 'fascinating' journal wins Steffler first novel award". Halifax Daily News, March 27, 1993.
  32. "Finalists announced for first novel award". The Globe and Mail, March 4, 1993.
  33. "New Brunswicker wins book award". Calgary Herald, March 25, 1994.
  34. "Five authors nominated for first-novel award". Montreal Gazette, March 5, 1994.
  35. "Funny Boy author wins $5,000 SmithBooks prize". Toronto Star, March 22, 1995.
  36. Candace Fertile, "And this one's just too cool for words". Calgary Herald, March 4, 1995.
  37. "Fraser wins First Novel prize". Toronto Star, April 26, 1996.
  38. "Short list for 1st novel announced". The Globe and Mail, March 1, 1996.
  39. "Anne Michaels wins $5,000 first novel prize". Edmonton Journal, May 29, 1997.
  40. "Six authors in running for first-novel award". Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 1997.
  41. "Opium Dreams wins award". Ottawa Citizen, April 25, 1998.
  42. "County native nominated". Windsor Star, March 7, 1998.
  43. "Andre Alexis wins first novel award". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, April 30, 1999.
  44. "Highway nominated". National Post, April 1, 1999.
  45. "Macfarlane, Wilson share award for first novel". The Globe and Mail, October 13, 2000.
  46. Bob Blakey, "Calgarian in hunt for first-time novelist award". Calgary Herald, September 8, 2000.
  47. "Necessary Lies wins first-novel award". The Globe and Mail, September 26, 2001.
  48. "2001 First novel award: Three Vancouver writers up for $5,000 prize". Vancouver Sun, July 21, 2001.
  49. "Michael Redhill picks up first-novel honours". Edmonton Journal, October 2, 2002.
  50. "Mary Lawson wins first novel award for Crow Lake". National Post, October 9, 2003.
  51. Rebecca Caldwell, "Lawson wins first-novel award". The Globe and Mail, October 9, 2003.
  52. "Basilieres wins first novel award". The Telegram, October 17, 2004.
  53. "John Bemrose, Edeet Ravel are among finalists for First Novel Award". Welland Tribune, April 21, 2004.
  54. "Montreal's Colin McAdam wins First Novel Award". The Globe and Mail, October 7, 2005.
  55. "Debut fiction: 14 writers make first impressions". Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2005.
  56. "Joseph Boyden wins Amazon first-novel award". The Globe and Mail, October 12, 2006.
  57. "Authors short-listed for First Novel Award". The Telegram, July 2, 2006.
  58. "Quebec City's Thien wins First Novel Award". Montreal Gazette, October 9, 2007.
  59. "'First Novel' finalists named". Prince George Citizen, June 15, 2007.
  60. "Adamson wins First Novel Award". Telegraph-Journal, October 2, 2008.
  61. "Finalists for First Novel Award announced". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, June 11, 2008.
  62. "Thomas wins Amazon First Novel Award". The Globe and Mail, September 25, 2009.
  63. "Saanich writer Patrick Lane nominated for first-novel honour". Victoria Times-Colonist, June 17, 2009.
  64. "St. John's writer wins first-novel award". Edmonton Journal, May 2, 2010.
  65. "Ian Weir, Annabel Lyon among finalists for Amazon First Novel Award". National Post, March 5, 2010.
  66. "Eleanor Catton of London, Ont., wins $7,500 Amazon.ca First Novel Award". Canadian Press, April 28, 2011.
  67. Web site: Medley . Mark . February 22, 2011 . Nominees for Amazon.ca First Novel Award announced . . en-CA.
  68. "Toronto writer wins first-novel prize". Victoria Times-Colonist, April 29, 2012.
  69. "Shortlisted this week". National Post, February 25, 2012.
  70. "Vancouver author wins Amazon.ca First Novel Award". Ottawa Citizen, April 26, 2013.
  71. "Kim Thuy's celebrated 'Ru' among finalists for Amazon.ca First Novel Award". Canadian Press, February 27, 2013.
  72. "Seasoned author's debut novel a winner". Winnipeg Free Press, May 10, 2014.
  73. Web site: April 30, 2014 . Windsor, Ont., writer Wayne Grady wins Amazon.ca First Novel Award . May 28, 2023 . CBC News.
  74. News: May 21, 2015 . Alix Hawley's All True Not A Lie In It wins Amazon.ca First Novel Award . .
  75. François Lauzon, "Sean Michaels' Us Conductors in running for Amazon prize". Montreal Gazette, April 2, 2015.
  76. News: Medley . Mark . 2016-05-26 . Mona Awad wins Amazon.ca First Novel Award: ‘When I was writing the book, frankly, I never thought it would see the light of day’ . en-CA . . 2023-01-31.
  77. Mark Medley, "Want to write a novel? First Novel Awards finalists say it's better with age". The Globe and Mail, April 16, 2016.
  78. News: Medley . Mark . May 25, 2017 . Katherena Vermette wins Amazon.ca First Novel Award . en-CA . The Globe and Mail .
  79. News: Medley . Mark . April 14, 2017 . Finalists announced for Amazon.ca First Novel Award . en-CA . .
  80. "Winnipeg's Kaan wins book prize". London Free Press, May 24, 2018.
  81. Deborah Dundas, "Sharon Bala, Omar El Akkad shortlisted for Amazon First Novel Award". Toronto Star, April 28, 2018.
  82. Web site: Dundas . Deborah . May 22, 2019 . Casey Plett wins $60,000 Amazon first novel prize . . en.
  83. Deborah Dundas, "Tanya Tagaq, Ian Williams among finalists for $60,000 Amazon Canada First Novel Award". Toronto Star, April 26, 2019.
  84. Web site: June 5, 2022 . ‘The Dishwasher’ Author Stéphane Larue Wins the 2020 Amazon Canada First Novel Award . 2023-01-31 . The Walrus.
  85. Web site: Qiao . Vicky . May 28, 2021 . Five Little Indians by Michelle Good wins $60K Amazon First Novel Award . 2023-01-31 . CBC.ca.
  86. Web site: 2021-05-27 . Michelle Good Wins 2021 Amazon Canada First Novel Award . 2023-01-31 . . en-US.
  87. Web site: The Canadian Press . 2022-06-01 . Pik-Shuen Fung’s ‘Ghost Forest’ wins Amazon Canada First Novel Award . 2023-01-31 . . en.
  88. News: The Canadian Press . 2022-05-10 . Retired bricklayer among six debut novelists vying for $60,000 Amazon Canada First Novel Award . en-CA . . 2023-01-31.
  89. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2023/06/01/jasmine-sealys-the-island-of-forgetting-wins-amazon-canada-first-novel-award.html "Jasmine Sealy’s ‘The Island of Forgetting’ wins Amazon Canada First Novel Award"
  90. Cassandra Drudi, "Billy-Ray Belcourt, Jessica Johns among 2023 Amazon Canada First Novel finalists". Quill & Quire, May 4, 2023.
  91. Attila Berki, "Alicia Elliott wins 2024 Amazon Canada First Novel Award". Quill & Quire, June 7, 2024.
  92. Cassandra Drudi, "2024 Amazon First Novel Award shortlist revealed". Quill & Quire, May 9, 2024.