The Writers’ Trust Announces the 2024 Finalists for the $60,000 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

The Writers’ Trust of Canada today announced five finalists for the 2024 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. The prize annually recognizes the best novel or short story collection by a Canadian author, with an award of $60,000 attached.

A jury composed of Canadian fiction writers Saeed Teebi, Joan Thomas, and Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike selected the finalists. In total, 139 titles were submitted by 70 publishing imprints.

The 2024 finalists are: 

Éric Chacour (Montreal) and translator Pablo Strauss (Quebec City)
for What I Know About You (Coach House Books)

Conor Kerr (Edmonton, AB)  
for Prairie Edge (Strange Light)

Canisia Lubrin (Whitby, ON)  
for Code Noir (Knopf Canada) 

Fawn Parker (Fredericton)  
for Hi, It’s Me (McClelland & Stewart)

Sheung-King (Richmond, BC and Hong Kong)  
for Batshit Seven (Penguin Canada)

This year only one independent press found themselves on the shortlist, with Coach House Books claiming that spot. The remaining four titles were all published by imprints within Penguin Random House Canada. 

Each finalist receives $5,000; the winner receives $60,000.

The prizewinner will be announced on November 19 at the annual Writers’ Trust Awards ceremony, hosted at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto and livestreamed at writerstrust.com/WTAwards.

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About the Prize  

The Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize is named in honour of Writers’ Trust co-founders and literary couple Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson, who started the organization in 1976 with the help of fellow writers to ensure that the then-nascent Canadian writing scene could thrive. The Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize recognizes writers of exceptional talent for the best novel or short story collection of the year. Past winners include Emma Donoghue, Lawrence Hill, Miriam Toews, André Alexis, Gil Adamson, Katherena Vermette, Nicholas Herring, and Kai Thomas.

For more information on this year’s finalists visit writerstrust.com/fiction. Photos of the nominated writers are available for download. The shortlisted titles will be available in accessible formats for people with print disabilities through the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) at celalibrary.ca/awards. 

Sponsorship of the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize is part of a $3 million commitment to supporting our nation’s literature by the Balsillie Family Foundation.  

About Writers’ Trust of Canada   

Writers’ Trust of Canada is a charitable organization that seeks to support and celebrate Canadian writers and writing through a portfolio of programs including 11 literary awards, financial grants, career development initiatives for emerging writers, and a writers’ retreat. Writers’ Trust programming is designed to champion excellence in Canadian writing, to improve the status of writers, and to create connections between writers and readers.