The 2027 Alberta Literary Awards are Now Open

DEADLINE: DECEMBER 1, 2026

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta (WGA) is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the 2027 Alberta Literary Awards. Writers from Alberta, and their publishers, are invited to check out and submit to this year’s award categories for books and short forms.

The deadline for submissions to the Alberta Literary Awards is December 1, 2026. Exceptions for books published in December must be made prior to the deadline, in writing, to the WGA.

Submissions are evaluated on originality, creativity, and quality of writing, as well as appropriate fit within a category. The winners will be announced in the spring of 2027 at the Alberta Literary Awards Gala, taking place in Calgary.

2027 Alberta Literary Awards Categories

Book Prizes

Prizes of $2000 will be awarded to published entries in the following categories:

  • R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature (Picture Books published in 2025 and 2026) – Sponsored by Under the Arch Youth Foundation at the Calgary Foundation
  • Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction – Supported by The Big Book Clubå
  • Wilfrid Eggleston Award for Nonfiction – Sponsored by Scott Saxberg
  • Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry – Sponsored by the Benediktson Family
  • Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama – Supported by Leslie Greentree and Blaine Newton
  • Memoir Award (Nonfiction) – Sponsored by Vivian Hansen and Jessica Waite

*Please Note: The Short Story Collection Award is awarded every two years and will return for 2028.

Award submissions can also be entered to qualify for the following city book prize:

  • The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize ($5,000 prize)
  • The Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize (Winner: $15,000, and two secondary prizes of $5,000 to the runners up.) The Edmonton Book Prize is now part of the Edmonton Arts Prizes.

Short Form Prizes

A prize of $1000 will be awarded to published entries in the following categories:

  • James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction – supported by Marilyn and Bob Stallworthy
  • Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Story – sponsored by Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society
  • Indigenous Long-form Nonfiction Award* – Supported by the Western Canada Indigenous Journalism Fund at Edmonton Community Foundation

*Please Note: This is a new award. The Indigenous Long-form Nonfiction Award has no entry fee.

A prize of $1000 will be awarded to an unpublished in the following category:

  • Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award – supported by the Haynes Family – In Memory of Dr. Sterling Haynes and Melissa Haynes

2027 Golden Pen Award

The WGA will also be accepting nominations for the Golden Pen Award. The 2027 Golden Pen Award is supported by Aritha Van Herk. The WGA’s Golden Pen Award is presented to acknowledge the lifetime achievements of outstanding Alberta writers.

10th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write

First established in 2017 by Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies in partnership with Tlicho Dene author Richard Van Camp, the Kemosa Scholarship offers an opportunity for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers to obtain resources to help them complete the work on their writing. There are three prizes: $3000 for first place, $2000 for second place, and $1000 for third place.

Visit the Awards Page & Submission Form and check out the Awards FAQ.

Please send all other questions to the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s at [email protected] and we would be happy to help.