The New Brunswick Book AwardsSubmissions for books published in the 2026 calendar year will open in June. Eligibility criteria 1) You must be a resident of New Brunswick to participate. For co-written books to be eligible, at least one co-author must be a New Brunswick resident. - A NB resident is defined as a person living in the province for three of the last five years, and for more than 50% of each year, including the year of the award, and who has not claimed another province as their primary residence or claimed this book as eligible for a writing award in another province. 2) Submitted books must have been published in the current calendar year (Jan - Dec) by NB residents. Books can be submitted by the publisher or the author. 3) Non-eligible titles: Unfortunately, we do not accept anthologies, translations, reprints, or re-issues. 4) We accept printed books only: no ebooks, please. 6) Human-authored books only: Content that has been generated in whole or in part using large language models (generative AI) are not admissible. (Read our policy on generative AI) 7) A book is defined as being at least 48 pages long, with an ISBN number and is readily available for sale in printed form. Picture books, for the The Alice Kitts Memorial Award category, are 24 - 48 pages long, with an average of 32.
| Shortlisted Titles Announced for the 2026 New Brunswick Book Awards April 2, 2026 – The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) has announced the shortlisted titles for the 11th annual New Brunswick Book Awards. The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony on Saturday, May 30, as part of WFNB’s annual WordSpring writing festival in Saint John. The program will celebrate books published in the 2025 calendar year in the picture book writing, poetry, fiction, nonfiction and books for youth and young adult categories. The shortlist is as follows: The Alice Kitts Memorial Award for Excellence in Picture Book Writing SPONSOR: The Kitts Family Judge: Sarah Butland resides in rural Nova Scotia. Her first published children’s book was Sending You Sammy, and has now been independently published in a variety of genres including romance, non-fiction and mystery. She is a freelance writer, Social Media Marketer and Writing Coach, along with being an avid reader and book reviewer. Shortlisted Titles Kimothy Stewart, Morgan Moose (Monster House) Maugerville,(Illustrator, Airen MacMaster) Jennifer McGrath, The Pony and the Starling (Groundwood Books), Hillsborough (Illustrator: Kristina Jones) Riel Nason, The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise (Tundra) Quispamsis (Illustrator: Byron Eggenschwiler) Books for Youth and Young Adult award SPONSOR: JD IRVING, LTD. Judge: Lesley Choyce moved to Canada from the United States in 1978 and founded Pottersfield Press, a small literary press located at Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia. Initially, Pottersfield published an annual anthology of writers from Atlantic Canada and soon the press was publishing books by poets and fiction writers throughout the region. 2018 marked the fortieth anniversary of Pottersfield Press. By 2022, Choyce has published over 100 of his own works and, through Pottersfield Press, over 200 books by others. Shortlisted Titles Evan Jones, What to Do when you don’t know what to do (Independent), Moncton Thomas Chamberlain, Happenstance (Galleon), Saint John Erik Gingles, The Nomies & The Surface Protocol (Independent), Moncton The Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize Judge: Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024 and was long listed for the Toronto Book Awards. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children’s book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Shortlisted Titles Nick Thran, Existing Music (Nightwood Editions),Fredericton Rebecca Salazar, antibody (McClelland & Stewart); Fredericton Ian LeTourneau, metadata from a changing climate (Gaspereau Press); Fredericton Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Nonfiction Award Judge: Carolyne Van Der Meer is a Montreal journalist, public relations professional and former university lecturer. Her articles, essays, short stories and poems have been published internationally. She has five published books, the most recent of which is a collection of poetry entitled All This As I Stand By (Ekstasis Editions, 2024). Shortlisted Titles Ian LeTourneau (Editor), A Great Cloud of Witnessing – the Arts Journalism of Nancy Bauer, (Chapel Street Editions), Fredericton D. Bruce Hughes, A Stroke of Luck: Music, Medicine and a Miraculous Recovery, (Purple Porcupine Publishing), Fredericton Karissa Donkin, Breakaway – The PWHL and the Women who changed the Game (Goose Lane), Fredericton |
Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction
Judge: Mark Leslie Lefebvre has published more than twenty-five books under the name Mark Leslie that include thrillers and fiction, paranormal non-fiction, and anthologies. Under his full name he writes books to help authors navigate publishing. His industry experience includes President of the Canadian Booksellers Association, Board Member of BookNet Canada, Director of Author Relations and Self-Publishing for Rakuten Kobo, Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital and Professional Advisor for Sheridan College’s Creative Writing and Publishing Honours Program.
Shortlisted Titles
Robert Stutt Puppet, (Merlin Star Press) Fredericton
Pierre C. Arseneault, Something Happened in Carlton, (Artemesia Publishing) Kent Junction
Michael Simon, Extinction, (Podium) Saint John
The New Brunswick Book Awards are open to traditionally published and independently-published authors who have lived in the province for three of the last five years, including the award year.
The awards program is administered by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB), which for more than 40 years has passionately supported the development of home-grown writers at all stages of development. The live awards ceremony will take place at Lily Lake Pavilion on May 30, as part of WFNB’s annual writing festival, WordSpring.
The awards program is administered by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB), which for more than 40 years has passionately supported the development of home-grown writers at all stages of development. The live awards ceremony will take place at Lily Lake Pavilion on May 30 at 6 to 9 pm, as part of WFNB’s annual writing festival, WordSpring.
This free public event is hosted by Julia Wright, and the evening will include nibbles and a cash bar, with reception entertainment provided by local musician Joseph Albert. The guest speaker for the evening will be the comedian, journalist and author, James Mullinger.
"Writers' Federation of New Brunswick" is a registered non-profit organization. New Brunswick, Canada.
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