Literary Prizes

George Ryga

THE GEORGE RYGA AWARD FOR
SOCIAL AWARENESS IN LITERATURE

The George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature is an annual British Columbia literary prize honoring a BC author whose book is published during the current calendar year and demonstrates an outstanding degree of social awareness. It is named in honor of prominent BC playwright and author George Ryga (1932 – 1987).

Books across all genres are eligible as long as they effectively spotlight social, environmental or cultural issues.

Deadline for submissions is December 15th (or, if published later in the year, notification that it will arrive subsequently.) There is no entry fee. Applicants simply send three copies of the book for consideration to:

The George Ryga Award
c/o BC BookWorld
P.O. Box 93536 RPO Nelson Park
Vancouver, BC
V6E 4L7  

The $2,500 prize will be presented at a reception in the year following publication, usually held in the month of June. Winners are announced with publicity in BCBookLook.com and a full page notice in BC BookWorld newspaper.

A short list will be posted on BCBookLook at the end of April. The winner will be announced later in May.

Partners & Sponsors: Supported by philanthropist Yosef Wosk, the Writers’ Trust of Canada, BC BookWorld and the Vancouver Public Library, where the George Ryga award ceremonies are traditionally held.

ABOUT GEORGE RYGA

George Ryga (27 July 1932 – 18 November 1987) was a Canadian playwright and novelist. His writings explored the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, among other themes. His most famous work is The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. Since 2004, the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature has been presented to a British Columbian writer who has published a book with significant social theme.

George Woodcock

THE GEORGE WOODCOCK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award annually honours an outstanding literary career in British Columbia. Since 1995, the Vancouver Public Library and Pacific BookWorld News Society (BC BookWorld, founded in 1988) have been working in partnership to jointly sponsor and present an annual $5,000 prize to a B.C. author whose enduring contribution to society spans several decades. The Writers Trust of Canada and Yosef Wosk have contributed partnership since 2009. Each year another commemorative plaque is installed in the Writers’ Walk at the Vancouver Public Library on Georgia Street in Vancouver. Winners are announced with press releases and a full page notice in BC BookWorld.

Basil Stuart-Stubbs

THE BASIL STUART-STUBBS PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING SCHOLARLY BOOK ON BRITISH COLUMBIA

The annual Basil Stuart-Stubbs Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Book on British Columbia recognizes the best scholarly book published on a British Columbia subject by a Canadian author. This prize was established in 2012 to honour the memory of Basil Stuart-Stubbs, whose many accomplishments included serving as the University Librarian at UBC Library and the Director of UBC’s School of Library, Archival and Information Studies.